Mysteries - Knut Hamsun [162]
“I simply refuse to discuss this with you any further,” the Doctor exclaimed. But as if to make up for his vehemence, he quickly broke into a laugh and added, “Because we shall not agree, no, never! Anyway, I won’t ever let you get my goat again, I can promise you that. Ha-ha-ha.”
“I, too, had better keep quiet,” Nagel replied.
Then everybody sat down again, and there was a brief pause. Something strange had happened—the teacher had sobered up. No sooner had he had a bite to eat than his intoxication wore off, and now he was sitting in silence, unnoticed, as always when he hadn’t had a drop too many. He was still drinking heavily, but it didn’t seem to affect him; Hansen, the lawyer, on the other hand, was quite merry.
It was only ten o’clock; again cards were mentioned, but
14 139/202. Deleted in CW: Besides, without a brain you could, as a last resort, dig ditches or quarry stone.
15 141/204. Deleted in CW: “I sincerely wish I hadn’t done it. And you know, what he said was very amusing. Gudrun, I had the distinct impression that he sighed just now, as he turned around. Oh dear, I’m getting a guilty conscience! ...”
16 143/204. Sentence deleted in CW: One’s spirit had to be in it, one must be in the proper mood, right? “Sorry” was added in CW.
17 144/205. Instead of “Pause ... a stranger,” P reads:
After these nonsensical exchanges, which were empty and meaningless, they both became rather quiet; it was as though each was thinking about what the other could have meant, what secret was hidden behind the words, which insinuations they contained. For a moment everyone in the room was silent, but when Mrs. Stenersen shortly afterward entered from the bedroom with freshly washed hands and scented with Florida water, Nagel went up to her and made a remark about a canary whose song he had heard through the half-open door to the dining room.
18 145/205. This sentence is the remainder of a paragraph in P, which reads:
Now Nagel too seemed to become more communicative. He applauded the music enthusiastically and exchanged a few words both with the deputy and Miss Olsen. But when Dagny moved over to the fireplace, he too rose from the table and walked quietly back and forth by the windows. Then he went up to Dagny and said,
19 140-41l205. The preceding part of this paragraph was added in CW.
CHAPTER VIII (pp. 84-101)
1 156/210. Deleted in CW: “Aren’t you happy, too. You will also be happy, I promise you; do you hear what I’m saying? I heartily wish I could do something to give you pleasure right now, whatever you would demand of me; believe me, at any rate, goodness yes, do believe me!”
2 158-59/211. Here a long passage is deleted in CW.
“Oh, you heard that? Well, but since I got engaged nothing much is left of the admiration. Imagine, the whole town seems to have turned around in just a few days; only a couple of women friends are still sticking by me.”
“No, you must be deceiving yourself—”
“Oh, it doesn’t hurt me, don’t think that. You won’t think that, will you?”
These few words went to his head, and he interrupted her with, “Do you care at all what I think of you?”
He immediately regretted having asked her this aggressive question ; he blushed with shame and couldn’t forget this blunder for quite a while. Nor did she answer, pretending not to have heard anything. She began talking about Reinert, the deputy, a man who had always been very attentive and kind to her-ha-ha-ha-but whom she had also lost now, after she became engaged. “Are you sighing? A moment ago you were so happy. Don’t sigh!”
They looked at each other. This “Don’t sigh” was echoing within him, brushing him like a delicate, warm hand.
3 159/211. Deleted in CW: “There is also another thing: their sense of honor is usually extremely rigorous. Thus, you rarely find criminals among the officers. They are fine people, indeed.”
“Yes,” she said to herself.