“Come over with me and you can hear them yourself,” said Ragnhild. “They're up in Fruen's room now.”
“No,” I said. “I'm going to bed. And you'd better go, too.”
“But they'll ring in a minute and be wanting something if I do.”
“Let them ring!”
And then it was Ragnhild confessed that the Captain himself had asked her to stay up that night in case Fruen should want her.
This altered the whole aspect of affairs in a moment. Evidently the Captain had feared something might happen, and set Ragnhild on guard in case. I put on my blouse again and went across with her to the house.
We went upstairs and stood in the passage; we could hear them laughing and making a noise in Fruen's room. But Fruen herself spoke as clearly as ever, and was not drunk at all. “Yes, she is,” said Ragnhild, “anyhow, she's not like herself tonight.”
I wished I could have seen her for a moment.
We went back to the kitchen and sat down. But I was restless all the time; after a little I took down the lamp from the wall and told Ragnhild to follow me. We went upstairs again.
“No; go in and ask Fruen to come out here to me,” I said.