"I know
for certain I am perishing for love of you; I love you more and more;
the end of it will be that you must go with me when I go away. You shall
see. Could you go with me?"
"Yes," she answered.
I hardly heard that yes, but I felt it in her breath and all through
her. We held each other fiercely.
An hour later I kissed Eva good-bye and went away. At the door I meet
Herr Mack.
Herr Mack himself.
He started--stared into the house--stopped there on the doorstep,
staring in. "Ho!" said he, and could say no more; he seemed thrown
altogether off his balance.
"You did not expect to find me here," I said, raising my cap.
Eva did not move.
Herr Mack regained his composure; a curious confidence appeared in his
manner, and he answered:
"You are mistaken: I came on purpose to find you. I wish to point out to
you that from the 1st of April it is forbidden to fire a shot within
half a mile of the bird-cliffs. You shot two birds out at the island
to-day; you were seen doing so."
"I shot two guillemots," I said helplessly. I saw at once that the man
was in the right.
"Two guillemots or two eiderducks--it is all the same. You were within
the prohibited limit."
"I admit it," I said. "It had not occurred to me before."
"But it ought to have occurred to you.
Pages:
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114