The Captain went in, and Ragnhild came running at once to tell us what he had said, that we might know what to go by now, and not make things worse.
Later in the day he came out to where we were at work, greeted us cheerily, in military fashion, and was surprised to find the pipes already laid; we had begun filling in now.
“Splendid!” he said. “You fellows are quicker at your work than I am.”
He went off by himself up to the reservoir. When he came back his eyes were not so keen; he looked a little weary. Maybe he had been sitting there alone and thinking of many things. He stood watching us now with one hand to his chin. After a little he said to Nils:
“I've sold the timber now.”
“Captain's got a good price for it, maybe?”
“Yes, a good price. But I've been all this time about it. You've been quicker here.”
“There are more of us here,” I said. “Four of us some times.”
And at that he tried to jest. “Yes,” he said; “I know you're an expensive man to have about the place!”
But there was no jest in his face; his smile was hardly a smile at all. The weakness had gripped him now in earnest. After a little, he sat down on a stone we had just got out, all over fresh clay as it was, and watched us.