Now, when I went back to my painting again I had settled in my mind to start on the house as early as possible, so as to be well on the way with it before the Captain was up--too far, if I could manage it, to go back! I started at three in the morning; there was a heavy dew, and I had to rub the woodwork over with a bit of sack. I worked away for an hour, and then had coffee, then on again till eight. I knew the Captain would be getting up then, so I went off to help Nils for an hour and be out of the way. I had done as much as I wanted, and my idea now was to give the Captain time to get over the shock of my grey, in case he should have got up in an irritable mood. After breakfast I went back to work, and stood there on my ladder painting away, as innocently as could be, when the Captain came up. “Are you doing it over with grey again?” he called up. “_Godmorgen_! Yes. I don't know if....” “Now what's the meaning of all this? Come down off that ladder at once!” I clambered down. But I was not anxious now. I had thought out something to say that I fancied would prove effective at the right moment--unless my judgment was altogether at fault. I tried first of all to make out it didn't matter really what colour we used for the second time either, but the Captain cut me short here and said: “Nonsense! Yellow on top of that grey will look like mud; you can see that for yourself, surely.” “Well, then, we might give it two coats of yellow,” I suggested. “Four coats of paint? No, thank you! And all that white you've been wasting! It's ever so much dearer than the yellow.” This was perfectly true, and the very argument I had been fearing all along. I answered now straight-forwardly: “Let me paint it grey.” “What?” “It would look better. There's something about the house ... and with the green of the woods behind ... the style of the place is....” “Is grey, you mean?” He swung off impatiently a few steps and came back again. And then I faced him, more innocently than ever, with an inspiration surely sent from above: “Now I remember! Yes.... I've always seen it grey in my mind, ever since one day--it was Fruen that said so....” I was watching him closely; he gave a great start and stared at me wide-eyed for a moment; then he took out his handkerchief and began fidgeting with it at one eye as if to get out a speck or something. “Indeed!” he said. “Did she say so?” “Yes, I'm almost sure it was that. It's a long time back now, but....” “Oh, nonsense!” he broke out abruptly, and strode away. I heard him clearing his throat--hard--as he crossed the courtyard behind. I stood there limply for a while, feeling anything but comfortable myself. I dared not go on with the painting now, and risk making him angry again. I went round to the back and put in an hour cutting firewood. When I came round again, the Captain looked out from an open window upstairs and called down: