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Page 71
The _attach�_ entered without saying a word, and Rachel threw her arms
round her brother's neck and said, "Who would have thought of your being
such a clever boy, Gabriel?"
"Boy!" said Gabriel.
"Or man, I shall have to say in future," answered Rachel, with a smile.
"But what have you done with your workmen?"
They were not far behind; and Rachel distributed among them beer, wine,
sausages, bacon, white bread, and other delicacies, until Gabriel
remarked, "You are much more liberal than Miss Cordsen; but had you not
got some chickens for the ball?"
Yes, indeed! She had forgotten the ball. Rachel's feelings were so
pained by seeing Gabriel in such high spirits, that she could not
contain them any longer, so she said quietly, "Gabriel, there will be no
ball to-morrow. Father is ill."
Gabriel had not to ask why. He saw it was something serious. The workmen
were standing by the steps, laden with the good things, and uncertain
where they should take them.
"Come, let us go back to the ship-yard," said Gabriel; "we shall be all
to ourselves there, and besides, it will be nice and warm."
Rachel could hear from his voice that there were tears in his eyes, and
the thought occurred to her, how he had grown from a boy to a man in the
last few hours.
The storehouse had now fallen in, and the ruins were still burning on
the ground. The yard, thanks to Mr. Robson, had been so well cleared,
that the watchmen had but little difficulty in keeping the fire
isolated. After midnight the wind lulled, and the thick clouds of smoke
soared up into the air, and were driven slowly over the fjord.
As the ship took the water, she drove across the wind a little way from
the shore, and fouled an old brig belonging to the firm; and for the
rest of the night was heard the shouting and singing of the numerous
volunteers, who were hard at work clearing the vessels, and mooring the
newly launched one.
The shipwrights sat comfortably in the yard, just near enough to the
fire to feel its warmth. They had got far more than they could fairly
take on board, and, every now and then, they treated one of the watchmen
to something as he passed.
The only flaw in their pleasure was that Gabriel could not be with them.
He had been obliged to tell them that the Consul was ill, and that he
must, therefore, remain in the house. No one thought of accusing Gabriel
of pride, and they all drank his health, and as many other healths as
they could find an excuse for, in bumpers of the wine to which they were
so little accustomed. Of the food which had been given to them, they ate
as much as they could, and when they could eat no more, they divided the
remainder by lot, just as they shared the shavings for their fires,
laughing the whole time heartily at the sport. Then away they all
wandered homewards to the West End, carrying sausages, chickens, bottles
of wine, and other delicacies. The sun was just rising over the corner
of the mountain to the east of the town, and lit up the window-panes of
the cottages, till it looked as if the whole West End was illuminated.
That morning there was not a wife who had the heart to find fault with
her husband because he had had a little drop too much. Eating and
drinking went on merrily, combined with gossiping and running from house
to house. The children sat up in bed, blinking at the sunlight, and
stuffing themselves with sausages, still half in doubt whether it was
real tangible sausage they were eating, or whether it was not one of
those lovely dreams which sometimes visit the hungry.
The sun was shining over the bay of Sandsgaard, where the new ship now
lay securely moored with hawsers both ahead and astern. The sounds of
activity from West End could be heard far out into the fjord.
In Begmand's cottage Marianne lay raving in delirium, and the neighbour
who attended her said she had the fever. Anders, who had burnt himself
on the side of the face at the fire, was sitting with her, a
handkerchief tied round his head.
The townspeople managed to get home by degrees. Some pretended that they
did not see the sun, and went to bed. Others stayed up, and went yawning
about all day. More than half the town had been at Sandsgaard that
night, or else on the heights above the house, looking on the fire.
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