Mysteries - Knut Hamsun [48]
Dagny blushed, laughed shyly and replied, “Certainly I’m thinking about him. That’s only natural. But why don’t you ask Mr. Reinert what he’s thinking about? He hasn’t said a word all evening.”
Reinert protested; he had been chatting with the ladies, Miss Olsen and Miss Andresen, displaying considerable activity on the quiet, so to speak, being alert all the time and following the others’ political arguments; in short—
“You see, Miss Kielland’s fiancé has gone to sea again,” Mrs. Stenersen told Nagel. “He’s a naval officer, he’s gone to Malta—wasn’t it Malta?”
“Yes, Malta,” Dagny replied.
“Well, for such fellows getting engaged is quickly done! He drops by at his parents’ for two or three weeks, and then one evening ... Oh, those lieutenants!”
Fine men! Nagel thought. As a rule handsome, weather-beaten men with cheerful dispositions and open faces. And their uniforms were so nice, and they wore them with elegance. In fact, he had always been fascinated by naval officers.
Suddenly Miss Kielland turns around to Øien and asks with a smile, “That’s what Mr. Nagel says now. But what did he say in Kristiania?” Everyone laughed; Hansen, the lawyer, let out a drunken cry, “Yes, what did he say in Kristiania—in Kristiania? What did Mr. Nagel say there? Ha-ha-ha, oh dear! Skoal!”
Nagel clinked glasses with him and drank. Indeed, he had always been taken with naval officers. He would even go so far as to say that, if he were a girl, he would have a naval officer, or forget about it.
This brought renewed laughter; the lawyer enthusiastically clinked all the glasses on the table and drank. But suddenly Dagny said, “Lieutenants are supposed to be so ungifted. So you don’t believe that?”
“Nonsense.” But even if that were the case, he would still prefer a handsome man to an intelligent one, if he were a girl. Absolutely! And especially if he were a young girl. What could you do with a brain without a body? Well, one might say, what could you do with a body without a brain? Oh, there was a hell of a difference. Shakespeare’s parents couldn’t read. Why, Shakespeare himself probably couldn’t read very well, and yet he had secured a place in history. But however that might be, a girl would certainly get bored with an ugly learned man sooner than with a handsome dimwit.14 No, if he were a young girl and could choose, a handsome man would be his first choice. The man’s opinions about Norwegian politics, Nietzsche’s philosophy, and the Holy Trinity were for the birds.
“Come, let me show you Miss Kielland’s lieutenant,” Mrs. Stenersen said, bringing an album.
Dagny jumped up. An “oh no!” escaped her, but shortly she sat down again. “The picture is so poor,” she said, “he’s much better-looking than that.”
Nagel saw a handsome young man with a beard. He was sitting at a table, erect and unconstrained, his hand on his officer’s sword. His rather thin hair was parted in the middle. There was an English air about him.
“Yes, that’s true, he’s much more handsome than that,” Mrs. Stenersen agreed. “I was in love with him myself once, in my girlish days.... But won’t you take a look at the man next to him? It’s the young theologian who just died, Karlsen—his name was Karlsen. He lost his life a couple of weeks ago. It was very tragic. What’s that? Well, yes, he was buried the day before yesterday.”
It was a sickly-looking creature with hollow cheeks and lips so thin and pinched that they appeared like a line drawn across his face. His eyes were large and dark, his forehead exceptionally high and clear; but his chest was flat and his shoulders no broader than a woman’s.
This was Karlsen. That’s how he looked. Nagel thought to himself that the face tallied with blue hands and theology. He was just about to remark that it was an uncanny face, when he noticed that Mr. Reinert moved his chair over to Dagny’s and began talking to her. So he continued turning the pages of the album, back and forth, and remained silent so as not to disturb.
“Since you have complained of my