"It is not my fault if the people are foolish," she said coldly; "I have
never done harm to any one that I know of." And turning abruptly, she
seemed about to enter the house, but the minister dexterously placed
himself in her way, and barred her passage.
"Stay, oh, stay!" he exclaimed with unctuous fervor. "Pause, unfortunate
girl, ere you reject the strong shield and buckler that the Lord has, in
His great mercy, offered you, in my person! For I must warn you,--Froeken
Thelma, I must warn you seriously of the danger you run! I will not pain
you by referring to the grave charges brought against your father, who
is, alas! in spite of my spiritual wrestling with the Lord for his sake,
still no better than a heathen savage; no! I will say nothing of this.
But what,--what shall I say,"--here he lowered his voice to a tone of
mysterious and weighty reproach,--"what shall I say of your most
unseemly and indiscreet companionship with these worldly young men who
are visiting the Fjord for their idle pastime? Ah dear, dear! This is
indeed a heavy scandal and a sore burden to my soul,--for up to this
time I have, in spite of many faults in your disposition, considered you
were at least of a most maidenly and decorous deportment,--but now--now!
to think that you should, of your own free will and choice, consent to
be the plaything of this idle stroller from the wicked haunts of
fashion,--the hour's toy of this Sir Philip Errington! Froeken Thelma, I
would never have believed it of you!" And he drew himself up with
ponderous and sorrowful dignity.
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