Life

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II

If any one had asked General Bang whether he was a happy man, he would have answered with a careless wave of the hand. Happiness or unhappiness — ^as if he had time to ponder over such things! When inspecting, he used to come down like a whirlwind, and fill the drill-ground with a mixture of fear, bustle and festive pleasure. Then suddenly one day he reached the age-limit, to his intense bewilderment. Whatl Was he, who still had so much to do — ^was he old? Had it come to an end? There was scarcely one silver thread in his dark beard, and his thick-set frame was as elastic as ever. Was he nearly seventy — he ?

It was hard to go about with nothing to do when his friends set oflF for the drillgroxmd, and the atmosphere of his pretty house in Drammens Road was oppressive as he wandered restlessly from room to room. It had formerly been a recreation for him

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to play the violin, but now it only reminded him of idleness. It was better when the shooting began, and before it came to an end he was fortunate enough to have found mistakes in the province maps which, of course, muslE be corrected, even if he had to do it himself. Or he discovered regions in which a sanatorium should be built ; or he went into saeters and found things that might be improved if only people had their eyes open. He wandered in forest and mountain, always restless, as if he were afraid of something unpleasant happening to him; indeed, he became so busy again in one good cause or another, that he once more found it a rest to play the violin. He old I

But when, in his wanderings, he sat with his chin resting upon Eis stick, looking out over forest and moor, memories of the past came back to him. How many of his friends were dead ! Ah yes, but some were;§till living. And then there were the women. Well, who is there that can say he has never been to blame? There was that time with Captaizj Riis. They were rivals in the military acadf*

22 lAfe

emy, and there Riis was the fortunate one. Later they were captains on the same drill-ground, and were rivals there too; hut when Bang, as major, galloped along the line, Riis was passed over and left behind. One fine day Bang galloped along the same line as general, while Riis still stood, a grey-haired captain, who had to lower his sword to salute his superior officer. There are ups and downs. And it was simimer, with light nights, and Riis, who had married late in life, was visited in camp by his pretty young wife. • . . But there, he must be going on if he is to get home in time for supper.

Years had passed, and the previous winter Inga came home and spoke about a friend of hers in the gymnastic class, Astrid Riis. Oh yes, she was the daughter of a retired captain. Inga obtained leave to invite her to the Easter outing, but when the general saw the young girl enter the railway-carriage, he started in astonishment. That fresh face un-* der the golden hair! Why, it was Fru Riis herself 1 "Is it really fifteen years since your mother died, Froken Riis? Indeed 1"

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It was only a little episode, that time long ago, and since then he had heen busy about so many things, but that night he had strange dreams. The next morning, even before he had quite finished dressing, Inga came into his room and said: "Is it true that you*re going to call on Astrid's father when you go back to town?" "Why, yes! He*s an old comrade of mine." "But you mustn't, father 1" "Eh, what I Mustn't I?" Inga looked guilty. "No," she said, "because — ^because Astrid didn't dare tell him that — ^that it was to us she was coming." The general stood open-mouthed. "Father, what was there between Captain Riis and you?"

"Doesn't her father know where she ?"

"No; but as she keeps house for him and works besides, half the day, in an office, don't you think she deserves a little holiday?" "Jesuit 1" said the general, shaking his head. "Besides, he's quite certain never to hear of it, because he never sees anybody." *T)oesn't he?" said the general, turning to the window. "Does he never see anybody?"

Greneral Bang was always busy up in the

24 Life

mountains too. He would himself sweep paths in the snow to all the little outhouses; he would bring in the firewood with his own hands ; he had his favorite view from one particular window to which he had continually to go; there were visitors and he had much to see to. But today, through it all ran the thought: "So, Captain Riis, you've shut yourself up, have you, and people are deceiving you now tool"

The new guests arrived, and the fire in the high-raftered room shone upon a noisy assembly. There were the children of the house, the sons-in-law, and some friends. There was the eldest son, a forest-inspector, a perfect giant, with brown beard and kind eyes. There was Hjort, a business manager, and his pretty young wife, with whom Tangen was already carrying on a low-toned conversation ; and the general was walking about the room with a daughter on each arm, one dark, Fru Ramm, the other fair, Fru Heiberg. In front of the fire sat the youngest son, Harald, an engineer, and when in town a dandy, but here collarless and wearing patched trousers and a coarse

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woollen jersey, and thankful that he was a sportsman. He admired his brother Reidar for his triumphs in sport and good strokes of business; and he dreamed of beating him in both lines.

"Confounded humbug the whole of it I" came from the open door, as the two sons-in-law made their appearance — ^the young beardless Captain Ramm, and Dr. Heiberg, a plump man with gold-rimmed eyeglasses.

"Most of it's humbug," said the captain, as he shut the door. '^I'm certain that next year the Storthing "

"For goodness' sake, don't let us have any Storthing talk up here, where we meant to breathe pure air I"

The walls of the great room were adorned with elks' heads, hunting implements, and hangings woven by the daughters of the house; and the chairs hollowed out of trunks of trees were so big that one could almost have lain down in them.

*'But we ought really to have dinner now," said the active little hostess. "You who've come over the mountains must be fearfully

26 Life

hungry !" Her small face was rosy under her white hair, and her whole person spotlessly clean, and her brown eyes twinkled roguishly. "Oh, by the by, Holth, you haven't told me anything about your Ynit and children yet," she went on, taking Holth's hand in both hers and drawing him aside.

Just then the door opened, and a bent, white-haired old lady entered with a stick in her hand. Cries of "Grandmother 1 Grandmother!" greeted her on all sides. It was difficult to believe that Fru Bang, who had long been a grandmother herself, had brought her mother with her up into the mountains. The old lady's name was Fru Kindt, and she used to say jokingly that she did not remember whether she was eighty or ninety.

"Ah, there's the bad man who never comes to see us now," she said, making her way towards Holth.

When at last dinner was ready, they had to go out to another little building that stood by itself up among the trees. The path up to it through the snow had become so soft in the sun that they sank ankle-deep in it. This

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caused some fun. Some of them found in the kitchen big straw slippers which they put on; the tall forester trusted to his own legs and took his wife upon his back; and the general and Reidar carried the old lady in a dandy-chair, although she screamed like a young gbl. Tangen was most unlucky, for as he lifted Fru Hiorth in one arm and set oflF, he tripped and fell headlong, so that the lady was flung far oflF into the snow, and before he could come to her assistance, another rescue-party had been sent out to bring her ashore. Laughing and shouting they came into the little raftered room, where they were met by the warmth from another fire and the smell from steaming saucepans.

It seemed to Holth that no food had ever tasted so good as this — ^with a truly primeval appetite after his exertions on the mountains and the cold shower, and with the sunlight falling across the floor. And tomorrow too he would be free 1 The hot meat was pleasant to his palate; there was no wine, but he held up his glass of clear, bright water, and let it sparkle in the sun.

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The conversation became general, as at a festive dinner, faces were merry and flushed with the cold, lips smiled and eyes sparkled.

Holth was placed beside the old lady, who now turned to him to say: "You can't jthink how different young people are now from what they were in my time/'

"I can quite believe it," he replied.

"No longer ago than when the general was a young lieutenant and was courting my daughter, he would come with some fellowoflScers and serenade her; while now — ^now they invite one another to tennis and ^fe'-excursions." And the old lady closed her eyes, as if to recall memories of bygone days.

Suddenly Dr. Heiberg held up a piece of stuff* in one hand, and every one looked at it, "I found this in the wood," he said, stroking his beard. "Some ski-er must have torn his trousers upon a branch in passing; but I wonder whether it was a man."

The ladies cried out in chorus, and Fru Ramm leaned across the table and snatched the piece of stuff from him. "Oh, was it yours, Anna?" he said, going on with his din-

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ner. "Be quiet 1" she cried, blushing and looking across at Tangen. "Your wife ought to look after your manners a little, for you're getting worse and worse."

"Do you think I don't tryf said her fair sister, who sat near her. "But he can wait now until we've finished dinner."

The great, steaming dishes of meat were rapidly emptied. Inga often rose from the table to help with the waiting, and it was easy to see from her important air that she was the youngest daughter of the house. Very soon Astrid Riis was allowed to help her, and the two young girls became quite maternal in their care, as they passed backwards and forwards across the broad stream of sunshine on the floor, Inga dark and slender, Astrid with her golden hair shining in the sun, and both with the free, easy carriage that gymnastics and dancing give.

The general followed Astrid's movements with little side-glances. "How can you have managed to keep your father in ignorance as to where you are?" he thought. How like her mother she was I

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M

For the young girl too, to be a guest — ^here — ^was like a strange dream. She had always heard from her father that the general was a monster of iniquity, and she had come here with Inga out of a rash desire to venture close up to him. And there he sat, smiling and looking kind and nice, and she was waiting on him. How strange 1 If her father were to knowl But there was something so foolhardy about it, too, that a thrill ran down her spine, and she bent her head to hide the smile that came to her lips.

The hum of conversation continued until all turned their attention to Tangen, who 1/ was saying that culture had its origin ig, beautiful women.

"When I stand and look down upon Rome or Paris,'* he said, "I think of all the women who must have shed tears in order that all those beautiful buildings, gardens, parks, monuments and fountains could be produced."

"Tears?" questioned several voices.

"A beautiful woman has no soul until her

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t 'I I III — p— - ■ ■

heart is broken, so of course she cannot inspire when she smiles."

"Just listen to himl"

"Then it's one of the aims of culture to break women's hearts/' said the general, smiling.

Tangen was seated beside Fru Hiorth. and the pleasure of it made him almost arrogant. It is true he loved his wife, and at parting had sworn that he would thmk of her all the time; but it was not easy to be he. He had had no opportunity of being young until lately, and now he had so much appetite saved up. Then he met one woman who made him feel like a youth of twenty, and then he met another who surpassed all others. There was so much that was beautiful in the world, and at the present moment it was Fru Hiorth and no other.

She was the daughter of a priest, and was only two or three and twenty. Her oval face, framed by waving brown hair, had acquired an olive tinge up here; and her dark, arched eyebrows, her teeth, her lips, the whole fresh.

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youthful woman, made the artist umnanageable.

"I think your husband wants to say something to you," he said with a little smile.

She glanced at her husband, and her face showed a secret amusement when she saw that his food seemed to be choking him.

"You surely don't mean what you said jusl now?" she said in a low voice with a sideglance from her brown eyes. He did not answer at once, but suddenly they raised their heads simultaneously, and their eyes met for a brief moment.

Dinner was over, and the whole party were safely back in the main building, where coffee was served by the maid, while the two young girls were left to chatter together over the washing-up.

"Your brother Reidar must dislike me,^ said Astrid, as she rubbed a plate with a, doth; "for he hasn't spoken a single word to me yet,"

**Oh, he's always like that at first. Just you wait ! Or if you like I can go and scold him a little."

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"You musf be out of your mind! You surely don't want to make him still vainer than he is!" And the young girl looked out of the window with half -closed eyes, and then smiled at a sudden determination.

"May I come in?" It was young Henrik Tangen.

"We don't want any manservant here!" said Inga severely.

"Not even if I help?"

That was another matter, and in a trice Astrid had arrayed him in a large kitchen-apron, while Inga tied a handherchief round his head and put a dish-cloth into his hand, and the washing-up went on again to the accompaniment of laughter and the clatter of crockery.

Outside there was now a bustle, for the whole party had come out and were putting on their skis. While this was in progress, the door of the little house burst open and Henrik Tangen fell out head foremost into the snow, and the door was slammed behind him.

"What's up, Tangen?" and "What a sight you are !" were heard on all sides.

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*'I was ejected, ladies and gentlemen, because I said I would make a slave of my wife." And in his cap and apron he went on down to the other house, followed by peals of laughter.

The sun was just sinking behind the dazzingly white ridge in the west, and great red clouds glowed like flames over half the sky. What the sun had melted earlier was now frozen again, and the hill to the north of the houses was soon alive with dark figures, swinging arms, and «A^*-points shooting incessantly past one another. The snow sighed beneath the big forester, who drew his wife by the hand. Hiorth kept fast hold of his too, thinking, as he glanced at Tangen, that it was best to make sure of what one had. They all gathered upon the hill, and looked down into the blue shadows of the valley. The pace would be pretty fast, and for a moment no one seemed to be inclined to be the first to try it.

Inga and Astrid had finished washing-up, and now came up too on their skis.

"Do you dare?" said Henrik, raising his hand to Inga.

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"Catch me if you canl" she answered with a little grimace, and dashed oflF. For a moment there was the swish of a single pair of skis J and then the young man darted after her, but outside her tracks, so as not to run into her if she fell. What a pace they went at! The air was like ice against face and chest. He saw her a dark figure that kept sinking before him. She had her hands in her jacketpockets even now, as she came upon a drift and was carried up into the ab, bending to take the descent, on again with hair loosened and flying in the wind like a kite. Now she shot up and over the road and he after, though he all but f«ll. She, in front, broke into a laugh and bending to the right, swung round with a swish up the hill again to stop herself. Then she took her hands out of her pockets and looked round. He dashed up beside her out of breath with the race and the excitement of it, and caught hold of her hand, crying: "You said I was to catch you.'*

"Yes, but see if you can keep mel" And she was oflF again up the hill.

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"I was so afraid you'd fall," he said, trying to keep up with hen

"Oh, rubbish! It was yourself you were afraid for."

"Oh, I sayr'

"I'm certain that if I broke my neck, you'd be oflp at once to the next girl."

"What?" At this he really had to come up with hen

"Lookl Is that Orion?" she said, pointing with her gloved hand; but no sooner had he turned to look at the yellow constellation than she suddenly disappeared, leaving him standing moodily where she left him.

Hiorth had after all let go of his wife, and Tangen, as he glided past her, seized her hand and drew her with him until they had gone too far to turn.

Oh, don't 1 I shaU falll" she cried.

'All the better!" he answered quickly. "I know nothing so delightful as to fall with a beautiful woman!" And they dashed on.

"You mustn't let go of me, Tangen!"

"Not even in death!"

The wind carried aWay his cap. At the

It

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dizzy pace at which they moved, they might very possibly fall with their heads against a disguised rock, or break their limbs, and they kept a convulsive hold of one another's hands, as if to face a conmaon fate ; but she felt that he stood firmly on his feet, and it gave her a sense of security ; she trusted herself to him in a voluptuous terror of what the next moment might bring. They came upon a drift, and together leaped into the air, then on again like two flashes of lightning. Suddenly he shot up over a mound of snow that she escaped; he felt a jerk to his hand and lost his balance, and the next moment there arose jclouds of snow in which two figures and two pairs of skis were being whirled along.

When at last they came to a standstill, they lay motionless for a few moments to collect their scattered senses. Even when they had risen to their feet again, they stood gazing at one another for an instant, as if in wonder at being there together. Finally, they discovered that neither their skis nor their limbs were broken, so there was no reason to do anything but laugh as, still half dazed, they

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helped one another to get the snow out of collars and ears. In the fall her elbow had struck his face, and as his nose now began to bleed, she seized a handful of snow and pressed it to his forehead.

"Oh, dear, was it my fault?"

"Yes, youVe shed my blood, so beware — ^I may require something of you in return."

"Blood?"

"No," he said; "something else. But not* now."

Here Hiorth came flying up to them with an angry look on his face. "Herr Tangenl" he cried, leaning heavily on his staff as a brake. "Herr Tangen, what is the meaning of this? I must say " But the next moment he fell head foremost over a ridge of drifted snow, and disappeared in smoke and vapour.

"What were you about to say?" asked Tangen, when the other had risen and was able ^o breathe again. "I thought you wanted to say something."

"Go to the devil 1" cried Hiorth, still spitling snow out of his mouth. ^

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"Oh, very well, then we'll go," said Tangen, taking the girl's hand. She looked for a moment at her husband. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you, Hans?" "No, indeed 1" he answered, taking the snow out of his hair. In his own opinion his life had been in danger when he fell, and for the moment that overshadowed everything else. The girl went up with Tangen; the men slept in a room by themselves, so her husband would not gef properly hold of her imtil Easter was over.

Captain Ramm wanted to take his wife with him down the hill, but she shook her head and kept her eyes upon the two who had just fallen together. "No, I tell youl" she said. "I ought never to put on skis again. I'm too old." And her breast seemed to heave with some secret sorrow.

"Oldl What nonsense! But do you see, Anna, most of these ^fe'-ers have been my pupils in gymnastics. Do you see how well they do it?"

She was not listening to him, and now, as Tangen and Fru Hiorth drew near, she suddenly started down the hill alone.

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Reidar and young Harald were busy piling ,up snow for a leap. Harald was a little envious of his elder brother, who had scored so many successes in sport. But w^t a little!

"It's about high enough now," said Reidar, standing up beside the great mound of snow. It was about his own height. "Well, we

aren't exactly children, are we?*' said his brother, quickly tossing up a few more shovelfuls.

".Why, that jump will be almost like the Holmenkol one/' said Astrid Riis, as she glided past.

Reidfir raised his cap and bowed stiffly. "Yes, Froken Riis; and who would have expected it — of us?"

She pushed on with head bent and lips compressed. Arrogant creature! He'd better take care I

"Come here and lookl" was the cry. "Reidar's going to take the leap!"

As Reidar quietly zigzagged up towards the wood ^ to get a run, a grey-haired sU^tv

Life 41

came towards him with his cap in his hand and holding out a telegram.

"Are you Herr Reidar Bang?"

Reidar took the telegram and read : "Your mill destroyed last night by fire, with grain, flour and machinery. What is to be done?'* Reidar looked thoughtful for a moment. iWell, the mill was, of course, insured, but the year's production and profits were lost, and this amounted to several thousand krones. The next moment he wrote, with his most sleepy expression, an answer on the back of the same form, and giving the messenger five krones, told him to go into the kitchen and get a cup of coflFee, and then hurry off and despatch the telegram. He then went quietly on up the hill to take the jump. "What was that?" cried his brother after him. "Nothing," he answered, and soon disappeared. Befdre long a shout was heard: "Here he comes!" Harald was standing beside the mound to show whereabouts it was. The next moment a dark figure shot out from among the trees, bending his knees a little as he approached the mound, like a spring gathering |grce, then

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flew past Harald and up into the air. A strip of red sky and blue mountain was visible below his shis, as he sailed up there in the twilight with arms outstretched like the wings of a bird. It looked as if the attraction of gravitation was suspended, and the man belonged to the air. He began to sink, but the hillside beneath him sank also, and when he finally came to the ground, he still dashed on in a cloud of snow.

Harald was already up in the wood to do what his brother had done, and when he flew out from the mound and hovered in the air with outstretched arms, he proudly cried "Hurrah 1" Even when he descended and continued his course in a cloud of snow, in danger of falling every moment, he cheered again. Now they could seel

A little later, as the two brothers passed Astrid Riis, she exclaimed enthusiastically: "How splendidly you took the jump, Herr Harald! IVe never seen any one do it with such ease!"

"And what about my brother?" asked the young man, with sparkling eyes.

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"Ah, yes," she said demurely, "he did try it, too, didn't he?" Raidar stared vacantly at the spiteful girl, but as he glided on he could not help laughing. Her simple attempt to tease him was quite touching.

A round moon had risen over the hills in the east — ^not the cold metallic disc of winter, but the dazzling silver lamp of April. The hillside was soon alive with a noisy crowd, flying down with merry cries, standing or falling, struggUng up again and flying on covered with snow, returning with shouts and laughter, each breath sent out like a little white cloud in the cold air, and faces ruddy with warmth.

Holth was in a strange mood as he stood at the top of the hill looking on. He had not the courage to go down, and he felt he was old and not wanted. When had he been so young? Not when he was twenty, for then he had had to toil for his daily bread by day and study by night. Then he must have been young afterwards, when he swore to some items on an elections progranmae, and cried "Hurrah!" for the right councillor? Or

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I

later? Marriage — ^a heavy family load to drag— where was his youth?

"Why are you standing here alone?'* said Astrid RiiSy as she came up to him, a little out of breath with the hill,

"Don't trouble about me, Froken Riis. iYou look much nicer when you fly along alone."

"Come down with me!"

Astrid, like the others in her class, had been an enthusiastic admirer of Holth in his art-history lessons, and now it was most interesting to be able to help him to ski. "That's capital!" she cried, as they set off obliquely down the hill, so as to reduce the pace. "Yes, when youVe youth with you!" he answered, more than a little anxious.

On the way back he took her hand, which was warm although she had taken off her woollen glove. She let him keep it as they went on, and for a moment he felt almost giddy and confused with a new, unknown happiness. But suddenly he seemed to see a worn woman and children of various ages at home, a gloomy flat, debt, a hopeless fu-

Life 45 ture; tod involuntarily he dropped the girl's hand, and went on with bent head«

Henrik Tangen was struggling up alone^ rubbing his forehead with snow. There was a little girl he had his eye upon; but he might just as well try to catch a fish with his hands. She was here, there, and everywhere. She flew oflp hand in hand with the doctor, with her {Sister, or with one of her brothers; and when he approached her, she was ojff again asking some one else to go with her. "I ought not to have come here,'* he thought. "I shall never be happy again.'* And he turned and looked gravely at the moon.

His brother had another little run with Fru Hiorth, and when they were alone for a moment at the edge of the wood, he stopped and looked into her face.

"Forgive me for being quite drunk this evening. Is it you, or the moon, or the country, or only that I'm alive, that makes me lose command over myself? Do you know what happiness is? I know too what adversity is; but this evening — ^this evening ^*

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And he suddenly threw himself back into the snow and lay there with outstretched arms.