Would the Captain never come?
Three days later he came--quietly and alone. The body had been sent to
Kristianssand; he had only come back to fetch some clothes, then he was
going on there himself, to the funeral.
He was home this time for an hour at most, then off again to catch the
early train. I did not even see him myself, being out at work.
Ragnhild asked if he had seen Fruen alive.
He looked at her and frowned.
But the girl would not give up; she begged him, for Heaven's sake, to say.
And the two other maids stood just behind, as desperate as she.
Then the Captain answered, but in a low voice as if to himself:
"She had been dead some days when I got there. It was an accident; she had
tried to cross the river and the ice would not bear. No, no, there was no
ice, but the stones were slippery. There was ice as well, though."
Then the maids began moaning and crying; but this was more than he could
stand. He got up from the chair where he was sitting, cleared his throat
hard, and said:
"There, there, it's all right, girls, go along now.
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