The last thing of any account he did was to have the
carriage drive altered down to the high road, but that was five years ago.
The buildings needed painting, but he had put it off and never had it
done; the road across the estate was in disrepair, and he had felled too
much timber by far. Drink? Oh, so folk said, no doubt, but it couldn't be
fairly said he drank--not that way. Devil take the gossiping fools. He
drank a little, and now and again he would drive off somewhere and stay
away for a bit; but when he did come home again things never seemed to go
well with him, and that was the pity of it! An evil spirit seemed to have
got hold of him, said Lars.
And Fruen?
Fruen! She went about the house as before, and played on her piano, and
was as pretty and neat as ever any one could wish. And they keep open
house, with folk for ever coming and going; but taxes and charges on this
and that mount up, and it costs a deal to keep up the place, with all the
big buildings to be seen to.
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