A little pause. I was thinking of something, and fell silent. “Why are your eyes wet?” asked Eva. “She has a lovely forehead, though,” I said, “and her hands are always clean. It was only an accident that they were dirty once. I did not mean to say what I did.” But then I went on angrily, with clenched teeth: “I sit thinking of you all the time, Eva; but it occurs to me that perhaps you have not heard what I am going to tell you now. The first time Edwarda saw Æsop, she said: 'Æsop--that was the name of a wise man--a Phrygian, he was.' Now wasn't that simply silly? She had read it in a book the same day, I'm sure of it.” “Yes,” says Eva; “but what of it?” “And as far as I remember, she said, too, that Æsop had Xanthus for his teacher. Hahaha!” “Yes?” “Well, what the devil is the sense of telling a crowd of people that Æsop had Xanthus for his teacher? I ask you. Oh, you are not in the mood to-day, Eva, or you would laugh till your sides ached at that.” “Yes, I think it is funny,” said Eva, and began laughing forcedly and in wonder. “But I don't understand it as well as you do.” I sit silent and thoughtful, silent and thoughtful. “Do you like best to sit still and not talk?” asked Eva softly. Goodness shone in her eyes; she passed her hand over my hair. “You good, good soul,” I broke out, and pressed her close to me. “I know for certain I am perishing for love of you; I love you more and more; the end of it will be that you must go with me when I go away. You shall see. Could you go with me?” “Yes,” she answered. I hardly heard that yes, but I felt it in her breath and all through her. We held each other fiercely. An hour later I kissed Eva good-bye and went away. At the door I meet Herr Mack. Herr Mack himself. He started--stared into the house--stopped there on the doorstep, staring in. “Ho!” said he, and could say no more; he seemed thrown altogether off his balance. “You did not expect to find me here,” I said, raising my cap. Eva did not move. Herr Mack regained his composure; a curious confidence appeared in his manner, and he answered: “You are mistaken: I came on purpose to find you. I wish to point out to you that from the 1st of April it is forbidden to fire a shot within half a mile of the bird-cliffs. You shot two birds out at the island to-day; you were seen doing so.” “I shot two guillemots,” I said helplessly. I saw at once that the man was in the right. “Two guillemots or two eiderducks--it is all the same. You were within the prohibited limit.” “I admit it,” I said. “It had not occurred to me before.” “But it ought to have occurred to you.” “I also fired off both barrels once in May, at very nearly the same spot. It was on a picnic one day. And it was done at your own request.” “That is another matter,” answered Herr Mack shortly. “Well, then, devil take it, you know what you have to do, I suppose?” “Perfectly well,” he answered.