erefore why did I sit there working myself into a rage? To put
it plainly, the least she could do was to send me half-a-sovereign now
and then. The poor girl was indeed in love with me--ha! perhaps even
fatally in love with me; ... and I sat and puffed myself up with this
notion. There was no doubt that she was in love with me, the poor girl.

It struck five o'clock! Again I sank under the weight of my prolonged
nervous excitement. The hollow whirring in my head made itself felt
anew. I stared straight ahead, kept my eyes fixed, and gazed at the
chemist's under the sign of the elephant. Hunger was waging a fierce
battle in me at this moment, and I was suffering greatly. Whilst I sit
thus and look out into space, a figure becomes little by little clear
to my fixed stare. At last I can distinguish it perfectly plainly, and
I recognize it. It is that of the cake-vendor who sits habitually near
the chemist's under the sign of the elephant. I give a start, sit
half-upright on the seat, and begin to consider. Yes, it was quite
correct--the same woman before the same table on the same spot! I
whistle a few times and snap my fingers, rise from my seat, and make
for the chemist's. No nonsense at all! What the devil was it to me if
it was the wages of sin, or well-earned Norwegian huckster pieces of
silver from Kongsberg? I wasn't going to be abused; one might die of
too much pride....

I go on to the corner, take stock of the woman, and come to a
standstill before her. I smile, nod as to an acquaintance, and shape my
words as if it were a foregone conclusion that I would return sometime.

"Good-day," say I; "perhaps you don't recognize me again."

"No," she replied slowly, and looks at me.

I smile still more, as if this were only an excellent joke of hers,
this pretending not to know me again, and say:

"Don't you recollect that I gave you a lot of silver once? I did not
say anything on the occasion in question; as far as I can call to mind,
I did not; it is not my way to do so. When one has honest folk to deal
with, it is unnecessary to make an agreement, so to say, draw up a
contract for every trifle. Ha, ha! Yes, it was I who gave you the
money!"

"No, then, now; was it you? Yes, I remember you, now that I come to
think over it...."

I wanted to prevent her from thanking me for the money, so I say,
therefore, hastily, whilst I cast my eye over the table in search of
something to eat:

"Yes; I've come now to get th