aug's voice trembled,--"and
I could not have believed you to be so unkind, although at our very
first meeting I plainly saw that I had made a mistake in feeling such a
foolish longing for you."

But in a moment she felt herself that these words were too strong, and
she paused. It was, moreover, not her design to quarrel with Magnhild;
quite the contrary! And so she was indignant with Magnhild for having
led her so far to forget herself. But had it not been thus from the
beginning? With what eager warmth had she not come, and how coldly had
she not been received. And from this train of thought her words now
proceeded.

"I could think of nothing more delightful in the world than to show you
my child. There was, indeed, no one else to whom I could show it. And
you did not even care to see it; you did not so much as want to take the
trouble to dress yourself."

She strove at first to speak calmly, but before she finished what she
was saying, her voice quivered, and she burst into tears.

Suddenly Magnhild darted away from the window toward the kitchen
door--but that was just where Roennaug was; then toward the bed-room
door, but remembering that it would be useless to take refuge there,
turned again, met Roennaug, knew not where to go, and fled back to her
old place.

But this was all lost on Roennaug; for now she too was in a state of
extreme agitation.

"You have no heart, Magnhild! It is dreadful to be obliged to say so!
You have permitted yourself to be trailed in the mire until you have
lost all feeling, indeed you have. When I insisted upon your seeing my
child, you did not even kiss it! You did not so much as stoop to look at
it; you never said a word, no, not a single word, and you have no idea
how pretty it is!"

A burst of tears again checked her flow of words.

"But that is natural," she continued, "you have never had a child of
your own. And I chanced to remember this, otherwise I should have
started right off again--at once! I was so disappointed. Ah! well, I
wrote Charles all about it!" In another, more vigorous tone she
interrupted herself with: "I do not know what you can be thinking of. Or
everything must be dead within you. You might have full freedom--and you
prefer Skarlie. Write for Skarlie!" She paced the floor excitedly.
Presently she said: "Alas! alas! So this is Magnhild, who was once so
pure and so refined that she saved me!" She paused and looked at
Magnhild. "But I shall never forget i