his windows, and the busy Monday was again alive,
on that dingy autumn morning. He had to be in the school before eight
o'clock, and begin the work of the day with a prayer and a hymn.
Yesterday his ordinary duties had scarcely entered his thoughts; but
when the faint odour of the children's clothes as they came wet to
school, their inharmonious singing, and that flagging indifference with
which the school week opens after Saturday and Sunday's holiday, rose in
his imagination, his everyday work appeared more than he could bear.

What was it to him? While he was sitting at his breakfast, and was just
thinking of sending the maid down to the school to say he was unwell, a
knock was heard at the door, and Dean Sparre entered the room. Johnsen
at once endeavoured to recollect what he had yesterday arranged to say
to the dean; but at that early hour, and in the presence of that
perplexing smile, he might just as well have tried to sing "Lohengrin"
without notes as to bring to his recollection his ideas of the day
before.

The dean went straight to the point without any parley, but quite from a
different point of view to which Johnsen had expected. He was of
opinion, in fact, without making any further assumption, that Johnsen
was in love with, and even perhaps engaged to, Rachel Garman, and that
in his sermon of yesterday he had been expressing her ideas, which,
although they were certainly original, were still somewhat distorted. At
the same time, he was quite ready to allow that Miss Garman was no doubt
a lady of first-rate ability.

All the efforts that Johnsen made to get the dean out of this line of
thought were entirely thrown away; neither could he make it clear to him
that his assumption of the possibility of his being engaged to Rachel
was incorrect.

The dean listened with much patience and with perfect good nature to
what he had to say, and took up the argument where he had left it. At
last he said, calmly and plainly, "Are you not in love with this woman?"

Johnsen's first idea was to answer no; but he failed in the effort,
hesitated, and said, "I don't know."

From that moment the dean had completed his task. Johnsen tried to break
off the conversation by looking at the clock, which was now nearly
eight.

"You are thinking of your school, like a conscientious man, are you
not?" said the dean. "But you need not be anxious about it. I have been
in and told them that you would be unable to attend. Mr. Pall