e wall, and started.

"Ugh, the girl will soon come now!" she said; this was the first thing
she said. I took the hint, and rose. She took up her jacket as if to
put it on, bethought herself, and let it lie, and went over to the
fireplace. So that it should not appear as if she had shown me the
door, I said:

"Was your father in the army?" and at the same time I prepared to leave.

"Yes; he was an officer. How did you know?"

"I didn't know; it just came into my head."

"That was odd."

"Ah, yes; there were some places I came to where I got a kind of
presentiment. Ha, ha!--a part of my insanity, eh?"

She looked quickly up, but didn't answer. I felt I worried her with my
presence, and determined to make short work of it. I went towards the
door. Would she not kiss me any more now? not even give me her hand? I
stood and waited.

"Are you going now, then?" she said, and yet she remained quietly
standing over near the fireplace.

I did not reply. I stood humbly in confusion, and looked at her without
saying anything. Why hadn't she left me in peace, when nothing was to
come of it? What was the matter with her now? It didn't seem to put her
out that I stood prepared to leave. She was all at once completely lost
to me, and I searched for something to say to her in farewell--a
weighty, cutting word that would strike her, and perhaps impress her a
little. And in the face of my first resolve, hurt as I was, instead of
being proud and cold, disturbed and offended, I began right off to talk
of trifles. The telling word would not come; I conducted myself in an
exceedingly aimless fashion. Why couldn't she just as well tell me
plainly and straightly to go my way? I queried. Yes, indeed, why not?
There was no need of feeling embarrassed about it. Instead of reminding
me that the girl would soon come home, she could have simply said as
follows: "Now you must run, for I must go and fetch my mother, and I
won't have your escort through the street." So it was not that she had
been thinking about? Ah, yes; it was that all the same she had thought
about; I understood that at once. It did not require much to put me on
the right track; only, just the way she had taken up her jacket, and
left it down again, had convinced me immediately. As I said before, I
had presentiments; and it was not altogether insanity that was at the
root of it....

"But, great heavens! do forgive me for that word! It slipped out of my
mouth," she cried;