I took up my spade and went up, thinking of his clothes.
“Hadn't I better scrape the stone a bit clean?”
“No, it doesn't matter,” he said.
But he got up all the same, and let me clean it a little.
It was then that Ragnhild came running up to us, following the line of the trench. She had something in her hand—a paper. And she was running, running. The Captain sat watching her.
“It's only a telegram!” she said breathlessly. “It came on by messenger.”
The Captain got up and strode quickly a few paces forward toward this telegram that had come. Then he tore it open and read.
We could see at once it must be something important. The Captain gave a great gasp. Then he began walking down, running down, towards the house. A little way off he turned round and called to Nils:
“The carriage at once! I must go to the station!”
Then he ran on again.