Mysteries - Knut Hamsun [138]
The crazy man, had he gone completely out of his mind? Sara laughed, but she was getting half frightened by his many strange ideas. The day before yesterday he had given a woman much more money than she had coming to her when she brought him his laundry; today he wanted to give away his fur coat. They were also saying all sorts of things about him in town.
XX
SURE, HE WAS CRAZY, completely crazy. He had to be, for Sara offered him coffee, milk, tea, offered him beer, offered him everything she could think of, and yet he got up from the breakfast table soon after he had sat down, leaving the food untouched. He had suddenly remembered that Martha used to bring her eggs to the market just at this time; maybe she had returned by now. What a wonderful stroke of luck it would be if he could see her again, today of all days! He goes back to his room and positions himself by the window.
All of Market Square is before him, but he sees no Martha. He waits half an hour, an hour, keeping a sharp lookout for every corner, but to no avail. At length he concentrates his attention on a scene by the steps of the post office which has attracted many interested spectators: surrounded by a circle of people, in the middle of the sanded street, he sees Miniman jumping up and down, dancing. He has no coat on and has also taken off his shoes; he dances away and keeps wiping the sweat off his face, and when he stops he collects his pennies from the spectators. Sure enough, Miniman had resumed his old activity, he had started dancing again.
Nagel waits until he stops and people have dispersed before sending for him. And Miniman appears, respectful as ever, with bowed head and downcast eyes.
“I have a letter for you,” Nagel says. He gives him the letter, pushing it deep into his coat pocket, and starts talking to him. “You’ve put me in a very awkward position, my friend; you’ve fooled me, led me by the nose with a cunning I can’t help admiring, even though it has caused me great chagrin. Do you have a few moments? You’ll recall that I once promised you an explanation of something. All right, I’ll give you that explanation, I find that the moment has come. By the way, may I first ask you: have you heard that people in town are talking about me, saying I’m mad? Let me reassure you: I’m not mad, as you can see for yourself. Right? I admit I’ve been a bit confused lately, quite a few things have happened to me and not all of them pleasant; fate would have it that way. But now I’m quite well again, there’s nothing wrong with me. I ask you to bear this in mind.... I suppose it’s no use offering you anything to drink?”
No, Miniman didn’t want anything.
“Well, I knew that.... To come to the point, I’m full of mistrust toward you, Grøgaard. Maybe you understand what I’m referring to. You’ve cheated me so atrociously that I’ll no longer try to put the best face on it. You’ve simply hoodwinked me in a very important matter, out of pure altruism on your part, out of the kindness of your heart, if you will, but still you’ve done it. You once had this little bottle in your hands, right?”
Miniman squints up at the bottle but doesn’t answer.
“There was poison in it; it’s been emptied and filled half full with water. Last night there was only water in it.”
Miniman still says nothing.
“Well, actually, no evil deed has