In Helene he had found his future
life.
But her parents had grown less cordial of late owing to Fru Kaas's
coldness, and the time came when all attempts to obtain meetings
with Helene failed. He had never been so infatuated. He seemed to
see her continually before him--her luxuriant beauty, her light
step, her grey eyes gazing steadfastly into his.
Why could they not be married to-morrow or the next day? What
could be more natural? What could more certainly help him forward?
The constraint between his mother and himself had reached a
greater pitch than ever before. He thought seriously of leaving
her and the country. He still had some money left, the proceeds of
the patent, and he could easily make more. How irksome it became
to him to go into the fields and woods without Helene! He could
not study; he had no one to talk to; what should he do?
Devote himself to boating!--row out far beyond the bay, right up
to the town! One day, as he rowed along the coast, beyond the bay,
he noticed that the clay and flag-stone formation in the hills and
ridges was speckled with grey. Helene had told him how
extraordinary it looked out there now that the trees were gone,
but as they would have had to come out in the boat to see it he
had let the remark pass.
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