Arne; Early Tales and Sketches: Patriots EditionBjørnson, Bjørnstjerne
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Arne; Early Tales and Sketches: Patriots Edition
Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne
Norway -- Fiction; Norwegian fiction -- Translations into English
Finally the mother said, "Now at last we will go into Arne's own room;"
and then they went into the room overlooking the Kamp gorge. Once more
the awful din of the force smote upon their ears, for the window was
open. They were up so high that they could see the spray rising between
the mountains, but not the force itself, save in one spot farther on,
where a fragment had fallen from the cliff, just where the torrent, with
all its might, took its final leap into the depths below. Fresh turf
covered the upward turned side of this fallen piece of rock, a few fir
cones had buried themselves in it, and sent forth a growth of trees with
their roots in the crevices. The wind had tugged at and shaken the
trees, the force had washed them so completely that there was not a
branch four ells from the roots; they were crooked in the knees, their
boughs knotted and gnarled, yet they kept their footing, and shot far up
between the rocky walls. This was the first thing Eli noticed from the
window; the next, the dazzling white snow-capped peaks rising above the
green mountains. She turned her eyes away, let them wander over the
peaceful, fruitful fields, and finally about the room where she stood;
the roar of the force had hitherto prevented this.
How calm and cheerful it was within, compared with the scene without.
She did not look at any single article, because one blended into the
other, and most of them were new to her, for Arne had centred his
affections in this room, and, simple as it was, it was artistic in
almost every particular. It seemed as though the sound of his songs came
floating toward her, while she stood there, or as though he himself
smiled at her from every object. The first thing her eyes singled out in
the room, was a broad, handsomely carved book-shelf. There were so many
books on it that she did not believe the priest had more. A pretty
cabinet was the next thing she noticed. Here he kept many rare things,
his mother said. Here, too, he had his money, she added, in a whisper.
They had twice had property left to them, she told afterwards; they
would have one more inheritance besides, if things went as they should.
"But money is not the best thing in the world, after all. Arne may get
what is far better."
There were many little trinkets in the room which were interesting to
examine, and Eli looked at them all, as happy as a child.
Margit patted her on the shoulder, saying, as she looked brightly into
her eyes, "I have never seen you before to-day, my child, but I am
already very fond of you." Before Eli had time to feel embarrassed,
Margit pulled at her dress, and said, quite softly, "You see that little
red chest; there is something nice in that, I can tell you."
Eli looked at the chest: it was a small, square one, which she at once
longed to call her own.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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