"No, I've no letters," she said, and moved to go.
"Beg pardon, then," I said.
"Was it the Captain told you to go to the post?" she asked.
"No, I was just going for myself."
She turned and went back to her room. Before she was well through the door
I heard her say to the others:
"A nice pretext, indeed."
Ragnhild and I went down again. I had seen her.
Oh, but I was humbled now indeed! And it did not ease my mind at all when
Ragnhild incautiously let out a further piece of news. It seemed she had
been romancing before; it was not true about the Captain's having asked
her to keep a look out. I grew more and more convinced in my own mind:
Ragnhild was playing the spy on her own account, for sheer love of the
game.
I left her, and, went up to my room. What had my clumsy intrusion gained
for me, after all? A pretext, she had said; clearly she had seen through
it all. Disgusted with myself, I vowed that for the future I would leave
things and people to themselves.
I threw myself down fully dressed on the bed.
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