as The Fisher Maiden, by R.
B. Anderson, 1882. Brude-Slaatten, 1873; translated as The Bridal March,
by R. B. Anderson, 1882; by J. E. Williams, 1893. Fortaellinger (Tales),
1872. Magnhild, 1877; translated by R. B. Anderson, 1883. Kaptejn
Mansana, 1879; translated as Captain Mansana by R. B. Anderson, 1882.
Det flager i Byen og paa Havnen (Flags are Flying in Town and Port),
1884; translated as The Heritage of the Kurts, by C Fairfax 1892. Paa
Guds Veje, 1889; translated as In God's Way, by E. Carmichael, 1890.
Nye Fortaellinger (New Tales), 1894; To Fortaelinger (Two Tales), 1901;
Mary, 1906. Collected edition of the Novels, translated into English,
edited by E. Gosse, 13 vols., 1895-1909.

[See Life of Bjornson by W. M. Payne, 1910; E. Gosse's Study of the
Writings of Bjornson, in edition of Novels, 1895; H. H. Boyesen's Essays
on Scandinavian Literature, 1895; G. Brandes' Critical Studies of Ibsen
and Bjornson, 1899.]

CONTENTS

THE NEWLY-MARRIED COUPLE
LEONARDA
A GAUNTLET

THE NEWLY-MARRIED COUPLE

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

The FATHER.
The MOTHER.
LAURA, their daughter.
AXEL, her husband.
MATHILDE, her friend.

ACT I

(SCENE.--A handsomely furnished, carpeted room, with a door at the back
leading to a lobby. The FATHER is sitting on a couch on the left-hand
side, in the foreground, reading a newspaper. Other papers are lying on
a small table in front of him. AXEL is on another couch drawn up in a
similar position on the right-hand side. A newspaper, which he is not
reading, is lying on his knee. The MOTHER is sitting, sewing, in an
easy-chair drawn up beside a table in the middle of the room.)

[LAURA enters.]

Laura. Good morning, mother! (Kisses her.)

Mother. Good morning, dear. Have you slept well?

Laura. Very well, thanks. Good morning, dad! (Kisses him.)

Father. Good morning, little one, good morning. Happy and in good
spirits?

Laura. Very. (Passes in front of AXEL.) Good morning, Axel! (Sits down
at the table, opposite her mother.)

Axel. Good morning.

Mother. I am very sorry to say, my child, that I must give up going to
the ball with you to-night. It is such a long way to go, in this cold
spring weather.

Father (without looking up from his paper). Your mother is not well. She
was coughing in the night.

Laura. Coughing again?

Father. Twice. (The MOTHER coughs, and he looks up.) There, do you hear
that? Your mother must n