After a couple of days, I set myself down calmly and loftily to write to Falkenberg. I had a bit of a saw thing I’d left there at ?vreb?, I wrote; it might be a useful thing for owners of timber lands some day, and I proposed to come along and fetch it away shortly. Please keep an eye on it and see it doesn’t get damaged.

Yes, I wrote in that gentle style. That was the most dignified¹ way. And since Falkenberg, of course, would mention it in the kitchen, and perhaps show the letter round, it had to be delicacy² itself. But it was not all delicacy and nothing else; I fixed³ a definite date, to make it serious: I will come for the machine on Monday, 11th December.

I thought to myself: there, that’s clear and sound; if the machine’s not there that Monday, why, then, something will happen.

I took the letter to the post myself, and stuck a strip of stamps across the envelope as before. . . .

My beautiful ecstasy⁴ was still on me. I had received the loveliest letter in the world; here it was in my breast pocket; it was to me. Skriv ikke. No, indeed, but I could come. And then a dash at the end.

There wasn’t anything wrong, by any chance, about that underlining the word: as, for instance, meaning to emphasize the whole thing as an order? Ladies were always so fond of underlining all sorts of words, and putting in dashes here, there, and everywhere. But not she; no, not she!

A few days more, and the work at the Lensmand’s would be at an end; it fitted in very well, everything worked out nicely; on the 11th I was to be at ?vreb?. And that perhaps not a minute too soon. If the Captain really had any idea of his own about my machine, it would be necessary to act at once. Was a stranger to come stealing my hard-earned million? Hadn’t I toiled⁵ for it? I almost began to regret the gentleness of my letter to Falkenberg; I might have made it a good deal sharper; now, perhaps, he would imagine I was too soft to stand up for myself. Why, he might even take it into his head to bear witness against me, and say I hadn’t invented the machine at all! Hoho, Master Falkenberg, just try it on! In the first place, ’twill cost you your eternal

分享到：