"But, dear angel," said Lotta. "You can never mean that!"
"I will lie down here," said Sigrun. "I will sleep in your bed, Lotta. I can feel I am going to be ill. And I must be in a place where I feel safe."
A moment later she began again as before:
"I have done nothing wrong. We were just talking. And he was sitting in the next room, and came rushing in...."
She looked at them with her eyes all wild, as if wondering why they did not follow what she was saying.
Lotta talked over with the two servants what was best to be done. They could find nothing better than to let the sick woman have her way. The housemaid hurried into the house and came back with sheets and pillows and blankets. Sigrun began hurriedly undressing; they had scarcely got the bed done before she was ready.
And as she was getting into bed, she cried again, so that it could be heard all through the place: "I have done nothing wrong. We were just talking. And he was in the next room, and came running in...."
As soon as Sigrun was well in bed, she called gently to Lotta:
"Don't go to bed yet, Lotta. Sit there by the table and read your Bible. And mind, you must not let anyone in the world come and take me away from here."
And so it was. Lotta sat down with her Bible and the two servants went into the house to see how matters were going there.