Alexander Lange Kielland

“ She had dwelt long upon Elsie, for there was much to see. It was fairly an epitome of a whole human life that lay there, a whole story—an old, old story, too.
There was nothing missing; it was all there. She had her shawl, her gown, her old shoes, and the rags she used for underclothing—yes, in her pocket she had her brown baby hat, too, with the rose-red band. Else she owned nothing; from her baby hat to her last rags they had faithfully followed her; what life had brought her from fall to fall, the current had washed together in one corner of the prison ”

“ And when she crept into bed she did not think of Madam Speckbom’s patients or of Miss Falbe’s quiet room; but she slept in the midst of roses and music and dreams of white satin with swan’s-down about the shoulders. She was seventeen years old.
Life in the Ark went its broken way with a kind of regularity. Madam Speckbom waged her silent war with Dr. Bentzen; Miss Falbe toiled on with her school and with her brother; and “the gang” led their mysterious life above. ”

“ But all the grown folks dressed and went to church. So it was crowded and Pastor Martens had to drag himself into the pulpit. The winter sun sported gaily with the broken colors which it took from the pictures in the big choir-window; he shot slanting rays past the altar and sent tinted light, red, green, and burning gold down over the choir. There lay, as it were, a festal smile over the whole church—a beaming, blessed Christmas spirit. ”

“ And from the lofty, sunlit arches a holy Christmas feeling, pacifying like a good conscience, settled down upon the whole congregation.
But the church was filled with roaring tones. The organist played a festival prelude with broad, triumphant harmonies. And when the song began, it was sung boldly and joyously by the entire congregation; the most did not need once to look in the book, for it was the noble old Christmas song:
“At this, the blest old Christmas-tide,
We rightly look for pleasure.” ”

“ Madam Speckbom’s Ark was not so well built as Noah’s. It was—to speak plainly—an old tumble-down of a house, which yet stood, because it was built together with a newer and stronger one. But, since like all old folks, it could not bear to accept the support of youth, it continually threw itself more to one side, to protest against the union; and so it came to hang menacingly out over the steep bank, which led down on the east to the harbor and wharves. ”

“ But could anything in the world be pleasanter than to walk about in the bright streets, among all the friendly people, who shouted “Merry Christmas!” For it was not only at the windows that there was something to see, but while you walked along there was a commotion, and it turned out to be a heavy man who had fallen, for it was so dreadfully slippery.
And all the bundles which were scattered around him! You would have thought that the man was a big toy-man to be shut up, full of bundles, which now poured out because he flew open when he fell. ”

“ So when Svend presented himself one Saturday afternoon, awkward and embarrassed, Madam Speckbom treated him very kindly indeed, and bade him be seated on the sofa, while she went into the kitchen to call Elsie.
But Elsie was not there; she was nowhere, she was not to be found. She only came to light a good while after Svend had at last gone away. Madam scolded her, but nevertheless smiled shrewdly to herself; for that symptom she understood, too; girls act just so when they are the most seriously smitten. ”

“ But every time the music made a halt, [20] Puppelena shouted to them encouragingly and the artists recovered themselves in a hurry and played on.
But in the midst of an excellent allegro spirituoso, when Olkonomen’s flute wandered off in trills and runs, so it was a pleasure to listen, there was a knock at the door.
The man of the many faces vanished in a trice under Puppelena’s chair; and Elsie saw with astonishment that her cavalier and the tinker had all at once turned to playing cards—with cards which must have fallen down from the roof. ”

“ And it was that Elsie lay and thought about; and as her strength slowly waxed with good food and treatment, she began in her old way to dream.
But now they were quite different; her dreams from those when she lay in her virgin bed, and did not really comprehend what she was dreaming of.
Now she cast away the horse and swan’s-down and longed for a little house close by the brick-works for Svend and herself, and a big rose-bush in front like those in the bellman’s garden; oh, when she thought of the bellman’s roses! [64] She could almost recall their fragrance so that she could smell them. ”

“ I see that the great gulf will never be filled, however much there is thrown into it; and this certainty is the only reward you have a right to expect for your sympathy; it drives you from depth to depth, to the worst, the vilest, where you know fresh disappointments and fresh pains await you. For I know now what to think; money, gifts, alms, they all come in good. And I am glad when they come. But all the gold in the world does not fill so much of the gulf between those who have it easy and those who have it hard, as a single drop of warm human blood. ”

“ But if she only went through the room or thrust her head in at the door, it was as if their pains and weariness were lightened; and Madam Speckbom fully appreciated what a share of her cures she owed to Loppen’s merry laughter.
For it was laughter unlike all other laughter that was ever heard in Noah’s Ark. It could steal up the stairs and down into the cellar, through the keyhole to the sick, and right into men’s hearts, so that some became very tender and [9] others had to laugh with her. ”

“ Beside it, she had not much to lose in life; and now when she went away, neither was she any loss to life. To be sure, there was somewhere a dish of scorched rice-porridge for her; but beyond that there was not a thing nor a place in life that belonged to her; so she could go away without disturbing anything.
It was very still in the big, cold, stone building. Only now and then, during the night, there was a slamming of doors, rattling of keys, steps and voices which lost themselves through the long halls, every time one of “the gang” was caught and brought in. ”

“ The mechanic exchanged a hasty glance with Puppelena.
“If anything’s to be done in good shape, there must be a number at it,” he said half aloud and looked all the time at Elsie.
“We’re with you,” she cried eagerly and drew Svend forward.
“Yes—there’s no parley about it; we’re all along if the mechanic will take the lead,” said the tinker then decisively, and arose.
The man of the many faces was now altogether another [86] man. With a few direct words he gave each man his instructions. ”

“ You wouldn’t tear her to pieces!”
“That I would, Miss Falbe—as sure as my name is Caroline Speckbom. It would be a sin and a shame to help one who will not be helped; there are enough, in all conscience, who need it.”
[67] “Yes, but those who will not be helped are just the ones who need help the most.”
“Pardon, Miss Falbe; but there’s no sense in that. Sometimes you are too bright and learned—just like Dr. Bentzen—that is, you are ten thousand times better—in every direction—oh, there can be no comparison!” ”

“ The old gentleman smiled with his ill-humored grin, while he said:
“Merry Christmas, ladies! Great robbery over at Ellingsen & Larsen’s. The police have just caught a couple of them.”
“Robbery! Steal! Oh, my God! Steal on Christmas Eve! Impossible! Who—who? does any one know them?”
“It can’t be any one from our town,” declared the ironing-board majestically.
“It is ‘the gang’ from Madam Speckbom’s Ark,” retorted the doctor spitefully.
[96] “The gang!”—yes, “the gang” no one thought of; those abominable people were indeed a disgrace to the whole town. ”

“ Mrs. Bentzen tossed her head and brushed a thread off of her dress—of course she knew her; everybody knew the little out-cast; but she must plainly understand—
Several of the other ladies also muttered and whispered to each other; but Consul With was so unguarded as to call out:
“Ah! you mean Loppen, Miss Falbe—a handsome—hem, hem!” ”

“ The tinker muttered something about not everybody being versed in mechanics.
“There’s no need of it, either,” answered the other, while he deftly landed a bunch of raisins in Elsie’s lap. “Where I came from, you could go in and out with a coffee-sack on your back.”
All eyes turned now to the mechanic; and all were afire to know where that was. But they knew, too, that he was a dangerous man to be with and walked in dangerous paths, so no one dared be the first to open fire. ”

“ And then when some one came among them, who had been under the treatment of the regular practitioner—district-physician Bentzen—then there was a sparkle in Madam Speckbom’s little brown eyes, and she tossed the three gray curls which hung from a comb over each ear, while she said: “When you come from so learned a gentleman, surely you can’t be helped by a toothless old woman.” ”

“ The man of the many faces who had hitherto let his eyes run from one to the other, now addressed himself more to Elsie, while he now and then tossed a few raisins or nuts over to her, or across the table. They were seized in a trice by anxious hands; all had conceived a desire for more of the sweets which irritated without sating.
“Do you want to know where it is?” said the mechanic [83] gaily. “Well, that don’t cost anything, my child. It is down in the corner just in front of Consul With’s house at Ellingsen and Larsen’s. The whole store is jammed full of people who buy like mad. ”

“ But it was soon brought to light that the Ark really was inside the limits of St. Peter’s parish; and then again ensued a short, painful pause. For every one was anxious to oppose Miss Falbe, but no one saw what excuse they were to give.
Then the chaplain said: “Pardon, Miss Falbe; but as you know the object of this institution, you also understand what class of people in society we are starting out to rescue. Allow me, therefore, one question: Is the girl proposed by you, a fallen woman?” ”

“ Bentzen. “It is just the blessed thing about Christmas that one has done his duty, given to the poor. To-day no one can complain, and it is so nice to think of it when we are enjoying ourselves.”
“And it is not less pleasant to take with us to our homes the thanks and blessings of the poor,” gently added the police-chief’s wife.
The chaplain looked with admiration at the handsome lady, and in the lofty Christmas spirit in which he found himself he would have liked at the close to address a few edifying words to the listening group of ladies, but just then Dr. Bentzen came across the street. ”

“ He was so dreadfully anxious that they should sit down on the heather and talk with each other; but he was careful not to propose it.
There had been a slight breeze at noon; but at evening it was again motionless. The fjord lay smooth as glass, with bright circles where a bird had just dipped, or with long, [44] waving lines behind a fisher-boat which was going out on the sound to catch cod.
There was not a chirrup from the birds; there was not the least sound from anything; but a mellow, wooing silence in which one might hide himself, to whisper something to some one which no one must hear. ”

“ But as they bowled away, she became frightened completely. She caught but a glimpse of Svend, who stood astounded by the roadside; then the carriage ran down from a second hill and he was out of sight.
Besides she had enough to handle in the Consul, who put his arm about her waist and tried to kiss her on the neck.
Loppen was used to such things, and to keeping men away from her. But it was another affair altogether, now. She could not cuff Consul With, whom all the town saluted and who was so elegant. ”

“ So she deserted Svend and went with another, who had a few shillings left, came back to him and disappeared again; so no one really knew where she kept herself.
Even Miss Falbe lost sight of her. But at gentlemen’s dinners, the chief of police used to quote Loppen as an example of how exceedingly fast, women of the common people go to the bottom when they have once gone astray. And the gentlemen stared moodily down into their champagne glasses, and wondered that moral strength was so poor among the lower classes. ”