I was ready now to start cutting through the floor upstairs, but Fruen begged me to leave it to next day; her husband would be going over to the annexe, and that way I shouldn't disturb him. But next morning we had to put it off again; Frøken Elisabeth was going in to the store to buy no end of things, and I was to go with her and carry them. “Good,” said I, “I'll come on after.” Strange girl! had she thought to put up with my company on the way? She said: “But do you think you can find the way alone?” “Surely; I've been there before. It's where we buy our things.” Now, I couldn't well walk through all the village in my working things all messed up with clay: I put on my best trousers, but kept my blouse on over. So I walked on behind. It was a couple of miles or more; the last part of the way I caught sight of Frøken Elisabeth on ahead now and again, but I took care not to come up close. Once she looked round, and at that I made myself utterly small, and kept to the fringe of the wood. Frøken Elisabeth stayed behind with some girl friend after she had done her shopping; I carried the things back to the vicarage, getting in about noon, and was asked in to dinner in the kitchen. The house seemed deserted. Harald was away, the maids were wringing clothes, only Oline was busy in the kitchen. After dinner, I went upstairs, and started sawing in the passage. “Come and lend me a hand here, will you?” said Fruen, walking on in front of me. We passed by her husband's study and into the bedroom. “I want my bed moved,” said Fruen. “It's too near the stove in winter, and I can't stand the heat.” We moved the bed over to the window. “It'll be nicer here, don't you think? Cooler,” said she. And, happening to glance at her, I saw she was watching me with that queer, sideways look.... Ey.... And in a moment I was all flesh and blood and foolishness. I heard her say: “Are you mad?--Oh no, dear, please ... the door....” Then I heard my name whispered again and again.... I sawed through the floor in the passage, and got everything done. Fruen was there all the time. She was so eager to talk, to explain, and laughing and crying all the time. I said: “That picture that was hanging over your bed--wouldn't it be as well to move that too?” “Ye--es, perhaps it would,” said Fruen. XI Now all the pipes were laid, and the taps fixed; the water spurted out in the sink in a fine, powerful jet. Grindhusen had borrowed the tools we needed from somewhere else, so we could plaster up a few holes left here and there; a couple of days more, and we had filled in the trench down the hillside, and our work at the vicarage was done. The priest was pleased with us; he offered to stick up a notice on the red post saying we were experts in the business of wells and pipes and water-supply, but, seeing it was so late in the year, and the frost might set in any time, it wouldn't have helped us much. We begged him instead to bear us in mind next spring.