The engineer came up to me, nodded _Godmorgen_, and asked me to mend the summer-house door. “Is it broken again?” “Yes, it got broken last night.” It was early for him to be about--no more than halfpast four; we farm-hands had not yet started for the fields. His eyes showed small and glittering, as if they burned; likely enough he had not slept all night. But he said nothing as to how the door had got broken. Not for any thought of him, but for Captain Falkenberg's sake, I went down at once to the summer-house and mended the door once again. No need for such haste, maybe; the Captain had a long drive there and back, but it was close on twenty-four hours now since he started. The engineer came down with me. Without in the least perceiving how it came about, I found myself thinking well of him; he had broken open that door last night--quite so, but he was not the man to sneak out of it after. He and no one other it was who had it mended. Eh, well, perhaps after all 'twas only my vanity was pleased. I felt flattered at his trusting to my silence. That was it. That was how I came to think well of him. “I'm in charge of some timber-rafting on the rivers,” he said. “How long are you staying here?” “Not for long. Till the field-work's over for the season.” “I could give you work if you'd care about it.” Now this was work I knew nothing of, and, what was more, I liked to be among field and forest, not with lumbermen and proletariat. However, I thanked him for the offer. “Very good of you to come and put this right. As a matter of fact, I broke it open looking for a gun. I wanted to shoot something, and I thought there might be a gun in there.” I made no answer; it would have pleased me better if he had said nothing. “So I thought I'd ask you before you started out to work,” he said, to finish off. I put the lock right and set it in its place again, and began nailing up the woodwork, which was shattered as before. While I was busy with this, we heard Captain Falkenberg's voice; through the bushes we could see him unharnessing the horses and leading them in. The engineer gave a start; he fumbled for his watch, and got it out, but his eyes had grown all big and empty--they could see nothing. Suddenly he said: “Oh, I forgot, I must . . .” And he hurried off far down the garden. “So he's going to sneak out of it, after all,” I thought to myself. A moment later the Captain himself came down. He was pale, and covered with dust, and plainly had not slept, but perfectly sober. He called to me from a distance: “Hei! how did you get in there?” I touched my cap, but said nothing. “Somebody been breaking in again?” “It was only . . . I just remembered I'd left out a couple of nails here yesterday. It's all right now. If Captain will lock up again . . .” Fool that I was! If that was the best excuse I could find, he would see through it all at once.