Tötzlöff heard that Karen had a desire to return to me; he told me so. The prison governor was satisfied with the arrangement. It was kept concealed from Inger till all was so settled that Karen could come up one evening at supper-time. When the prison governor had unlocked the door, and had established himself in the inner room, and the woman had come out, he said: ‘Now, Inger, pack your bundle! You are to go.’ ‘Yes, Mr. Prison governor,’ she answered, and laughed, and brought the food to me, and told me what the prison governor had said, saying at the same time, ‘That is his joke.’ ‘I heard well,’ I answered, ‘what he said; it is not his joke, it is his real earnestness.’ She did not believe it; at any rate she acted as if she did not, and smiled, saying, ‘He cannot be in earnest;’ and she went out and asked the prison governor whether he was in earnest. He said, ‘Go! go! there is no time for gossip!’ She came into me again, and asked if I wished to be rid of her. I answered, ‘Yes.’ ‘Why so?’ she asked. I answered: ‘It would take me too long to explain; the other woman who is to remain here is below.’ ‘At any rate,’ said she, ‘let me stay here over the night.’ (‘Ah, Dina!’ I thought.) ‘Not a quarter of an hour!’ I answered; ‘go and pack your things! That is soon done!’ She did so, said no word of farewell, and went out of the door.

Thus Karen came to me for the third time, but she did not remain an entire year, on account of illness.[141]

In the year 1673 M. Moth became vice-bishop in Fyn. I lost much in him, and in his place came H. Emmeke Norbye, who became court preacher, and who had formerly been a comrade of Griffenfeldt; but Griffenfeldt did not acknowledge him subsequently, so that he could achieve nothing for me with Griffenfeldt.[E55] He one day brought me as answer (when I sent him word among other things that his Majesty would be gracious if only some one would speak for me), ‘It would be as if a pistol had been placed at the King’s heart, and he were to forgive it.’

In the same year my sister Elisabeth Augusta sent me a message through Tötzlöff and enquired whether I had a fancy for any fruit, as she would send me some. I was surprised at the message, which came to me from my sister in the tenth year of my captivity, and I said, ‘Better late than never!’ I sent her no answer.

One funny thing I will yet mention, which occurred in the time of Karen, [Nils’] daughter. Chresten, who had to make a fire in the stove an hour before supper (since it had no flue), so that the smoke could pass out at the staircase door before I supped, did not come one evening before six o’clock, and was then quite tipsy. And as I was sitting at the time near the stove in the outer apartment on a log of wood, which had been hewed as a seat, I said it was late to make the fire, as he must now go into the kitchen. He paid no attention to my gentle remark, until I threatened him with hard words, and ordered him to take the wood out. He was angry, and would not use the tongs to take the wood out, nor would he permit Karen to take them out with the tongs; but he tore them out with his hands, and said, ‘Nothing can burn me.’ And as some little time elapsed before the wood was extinguished, he began to fear that it would give little satisfaction if he so long delayed fetching the meal. He seated himself flat on the ground and was rather dejected; presently he burst out and said, ‘Oh God, you who have had house and lands, where are you now sitting?’ I said, ‘On a log of wood!’ He answered, ‘I do not mean your ladyship!’ I asked, ‘Whom does your worship mean, then?’ He replied, ‘I mean Karen.’ I laughed, and said no more.

To enumerate all the contemptuous conduct I endured would be too lengthy, and not worth the trouble. One thing I will yet mention of the tower-warder Chresten, who caused me great annoyance at the end of this tenth year of my imprisonment. Among other annoyances he once struck my dog, so that it cried. I did not see it, but I heard it, and the woman told me it was he who had struck the dog. I was greatly displeased at it. He laughed at this, and said, ‘It is only a dog.’ I gave him to understand that he struck the dog because he did not venture to strike me. He laughed heartily at the idea, and I said, ‘I do not care for your anger so long as the prison governor is my friend’ (this conversation took place while I was at a meal, and the prison governor was sitting with me, and Chresten was standing at the door of my apartment, stretching out his arms.) I said, ‘The prison governor and you will both get into heavy trouble, if I choose. Do you hear that, good people?’ (I knew of too many things, which they wished to hide, in more than one respect.) The prison governor sat like one deaf and dumb, and remained seated, but Chresten turned away somewhat ashamed, without saying another word. He had afterwards some fear of me, when he was not too intoxicated; for at such times he cared not what he said, as regards high or low. He was afterwards insolent to the woman, and said he would strike the dog, and that I should see him do so. This, however, he did not do.

Chresten’s fool-hardiness increased, so that Peder Tötzlöff informed the prison governor of his bad behaviour, and of my complaints of the wild doings of the prisoners, who made such a noise by night that I could not sleep for it, for Chresten spent the night at his home, and allowed the prisoners to do as they chose. Upon this information, the prison governor placed a padlock upon the tower door at night, so that Chresten could not get out until the door was unlocked in the morning. This annoyed him, and he demanded his discharge, which he received on April 24, 1674; and in his place there came a man named Gert, who had been in the service of the prison governor as a coachman.

In this year, the —— May, I wrote a spiritual ‘Song in Remembrance of God’s Goodness,’ after the melody ‘Nun ruhen alle Wälder.’

I.

My heart! True courage find!
God’s goodness bear in mind,
And how He, ever nigh,
Helps me my load to bear,
Nor utterly despair
Tho’ in such heavy bonds I lie.