Mysteries - Knut Hamsun [23]
“What sort of books could that have been?”
“You mean, what sort of books could it have been, since I was able to read and understand them?”
“This time you misunderstand me. Your question is very shrewd, but you misunderstand me. You are an interesting man. I meant, what sort of books does the young lady herself own and read? I would be happy to know.”
“Once, I remember, she brought me Garborg’s Peasant Students and two others; one, I think, was Turgenev’s Rudin. On another occasion she read aloud to me from Garborg’s The Irreconcilables.
“And they were her own books?”
“Well, they were her father’s. They had her father’s name in them.”5
“By the way, that time you went to Consul Andresen to thank him, as you were saying—”
“Well, I wanted to thank him for his help.”
“Certainly. But had the flag already been hoisted before you arrived that day?”
“Yes, he’d had it hoisted for my sake. He told me so himself.”
“Ah, there you see. So it wouldn’t be in honor of his daughter’s birthday that the flag was up?”
“Oh yes, I suppose it was. That might very well be, and that’s fine, too. It would’ve been a shame not to put up the flag on Miss Fredrikke’s birthday.”
“You’re certainly right there.... From one thing to another, how old is your uncle?”
“He’s about seventy, I think. No, maybe not, but he’s over sixty anyway. He’s very old, but vigorous for his age. He can still read without glasses in a pinch.”
“What’s his name?”
“His name is Grøgaard, too. He and I are both called Grøgaard.”
“Does your uncle have a house of his own or does he rent?”
“He rents the room we live in, but he owns the coal shed. We have no difficulty paying the rent, if that’s what you’re thinking. We pay it with coal; I also contribute a little sometimes, doing odd jobs.”
“Your uncle doesn’t carry coal around, does he?”
“No, that falls to me. He measures it out and is in charge of everything, and I do the carrying. It’s easier for me to do the deliveries, you know, because I’m stronger.”
“I see. And you have a woman to cook for you, right?”
Pause.
“Pardon me,” Miniman answers, “don’t take it amiss, but I’ll gladly leave if you want me to.6 Perhaps you’re detaining me here to do me a kindness, since I don’t see how you can take any pleasure in hearing about my situation. Or maybe you’re talking to me for some other reason that escapes me, and if so it’s all right. But nobody would molest me if I were to leave now, you mustn’t think that. I don’t really meet any ill-natured people. The deputy won’t be lurking behind the door to take revenge, if that’s what you’re afraid of. And even if he were, I don’t think he would do me any harm.”7
“I would be delighted if you stayed, but you mustn’t feel obliged to tell me things just because I let you have a few kroner for tobacco. Please yourself.”
“I’ll stay, I’ll stay!” Miniman cries. “And God bless you!” he cries. “I’m very happy to offer you some diversion, though I’m ashamed both of myself and of sitting here in this getup. I could’ve been a bit more presentable, of course, if I’d had a little time to prepare myself. I’m wearing one of Uncle’s old coats and it barely holds together, that’s quite true; it can’t stand the touch of a finger. And then there is the long tear the deputy gave me, which I hope you’ll pardon—. No, as far as having a woman to cook for us, well, we don’t. We do all our cooking and cleaning ourselves. It’s not much trouble, and we make as little fuss about it as possible. For example, if we make coffee in the morning, we drink what’s left in the evening without warming it up, and it’s the same with dinner, which we cook once and for all, so to speak, whenever it happens. What more can we ask for in our situation? And, besides, I take care of the cleaning. And that can be a sort of pastime