She
had lain twenty-four hours before help reached her, and shortly
afterwards she died. Before she breathed her last, she said it was
Peer Hagbo who had done it. "But," she added, "they mustn't do him
any harm."
Everybody knew that there had been an attachment between the girl,
who was in service at Hagbo's, and the son of the house, and the
shrewd ones instantly guessed why he wanted to get her out of the
way.
I remember clearly the arrival of the news. It was, as I have
said, on a Sunday afternoon, her death having occurred on the
morning of the same day.
It was in the very middle of summer, when the whole place was
flooded with sunshine and gladness. I remember how the light
faded, faces turned to stone, the fjord grew dim, and village and
forest shrank away into shadow. I remember that even the next day
I felt as though a blow had been dealt to ordinary existence. I
knew that I need not go to school. Men knocked off work, leaving
everything just as it was, and sat down with idle hands. The women
especially were paralysed: it was evident they felt themselves
threatened, they even said as much.
Pages:
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178