The Trial of Sören Qvist

Twenty

199 Twenty the jail wife was seated near the fire with her child in her arms. She looked up briefly as anna entered the room, but did not greet her. the jailkeeper came from a shadowy corner and went directly to the door to the inner room, which he unlocked and held open. nor did he speak to anna, and the girl, remembering his friendliness of the morning found it strange. the basket cumbersome in one hand, the weight of her small parcel of belongings tugging at the arm beneath the cape, she made her way awkwardly past the jailkeeper to the inner room and jostled him unintentionally with her basket in so doing. “Pardon me,” she exclaimed softly, and though he nodded , he did not open his lips, and he turned away from her promptly. however, as the door was drawn closed behind her, although she listened carefully, she did not hear the final click of the latch. She stood a moment, looking across the dimly lighted inner room. there seemed to be no one in any of the corners, though a pile of fresh straw lay tumbled under the high small window. her father lay on the bed, and a candle was burning, set in a ring in the wall near by him. it was a tallow candle. it 200 Janet Lewis smoked, and smelled of grease. She saw her father’s eyes turn toward her as she entered. he did not move else. he was not manacled. as if his keepers thought him too weak and broken to be able to move, he had been permitted to lie down like any dying man upon the hard wooden bed. as anna approached him, he lifted both hands, and when she had set the basket down and knelt beside him, he took her face in his hands and looked at her long and lovingly before he kissed her. “well,” he said, “in God’s kindness i shall soon be free, and my child will not need to come any more to this place of sorrow.” “oh yes,” she said eagerly, “you will soon be free. are you strong? i have brought you meat and wine. Could you walk a little distance, after you have eaten? only a little distance?” “why, that is thoughtful of you,” said her father, “but i am not hungry. and i can walk as far as i shall need to. God will give me strength.” “no, no, not that,” she said quickly, and glanced over her shoulder at the door to make sure that they were still alone. “Peder has talked to friends. we are to go away together, tonight . we are to go with Peder to Skaane, where all will be safe and we can be together.” her father looked at her in bewilderment, and she hurried to explain the steps that Peder had taken, the sympathy of the jailkeeper, the friendliness of the fishermen from Skaane. “and so,” she finished, “we shall be upon the ocean tonight, with only the free air about us and the free water under the boat.” “Peder has planned all this?” said the old man in a tone of wonderment. “what a good son! truly, i am blessed in my 201 T H E T R I A L O F S Ö R E N Q V I S T children. you must thank him for me, little anna, and tell him that he has made me happy.” “you can thank him yourself,” said anna. “and we will all be happy. you will have grandchildren to climb on your knees, and the fields and the woods of Skaane—are they not as fair as those of Jutland?” “Peder’s children,” said the old man, smiling. “what a joy to see them! Do you think, little anna, that they look like Peder?” “Surely, surely,” said anna. “and they will love you. take a little bread, Father, and see if you can rise without being dizzy. For we must go quickly.” But the old man shook his head. “it is a happy dream,” he said, “but i cannot go.” nevertheless he continued to smile at her, his whole face illuminated and content. after a while he said softly, “Praise be to God, i do not wish to go.” anna cried out, “oh, do not say so! you are not so weak. it is but a little way to...