“Yes, it’s quite pretty,” said Norby, with a slight yawn. Suddenly he felt his coat-tails pulled, and turning round he found two old acquaintances smiling at him, both farmers from up the valley, who had been jurymen at the trial.
“What, have you come all this way?” said Norby, taking them by the hand.
They told him that Wangen was supposed to be busy upon a fresh newspaper article, which accused the jurymen of partiality, and when they heard that, they were so angry that—that they set their teeth, and came to the dinner too.
But now Norby was led to the table. At one end of the long table a kind of raised seat had been arranged for the guest of honour; and on one side of him sat his wife, on the other the wife of the magistrate. When he looked down the table, and all the handsome women in gay silk bodices, and male notorieties with wide shirt-fronts, he could not help turning his head to his wife and whispering: “This is just like what we had at our silver wedding.”
During the soup, Einar got into a discussion with a member of the Storthing, who sat opposite him. Several others took part in the discussion, and Einar grew angry, but suddenly he felt as if an invisible hand had struck him, and a voice within him said: “Yes, be severe in your judgment of others, Einar, you who are such a hero yourself!” And he instantly bowed his head and was silent; and he felt the blood mount to his face.
Laura, true enough, had been paired with the bailiff’s son; and though he had not yet noticed her new dress, she still felt that everything was wrapped in a wonderful golden mist, and she had a vague notion that this was her own wedding.
“After dinner you must help me with something,” he said to her.
“What is it?” she asked curiously, as she tried to push an obstinate wave of hair off her forehead.
“I won’t tell you now. You must wait.”
When the joint was served, the schoolmaster rose and tapped his glass. This was Fru Thora’s great moment, and she felt her heart beat with joy and pride, for there had been so much ill-will between the schoolmaster Heggen and Knut Norby. Now Heggen was standing there, and was going to make a speech in honour of his enemy. This was her work. And there had been many misunderstandings between the schoolmaster and the old magistrate; but she had made Heggen take the magistrate’s daughter in to dinner; for they should all be friends this evening, and learn to understand one another.