Norse Tales and Sketches | Page 6

vigour down the right; I
reached the monkey, rushed past him, turned the leaf, and read bravely
on.
I was not conscious of the fact that my strength was now completely
exhausted. Although I caught a glimpse of a new section (usually so
strong an incentive to increased effort), I could not help getting
entangled in one of those artful propositions that one reads over and
over again in illusory profundity.
I groped about for a way of escape, but there was none. Incoherent
thoughts began to whirl through my brain. 'Where is the monkey?--a
spot of coffee--one cannot be genial on both sides--everything in life
has a right and a wrong side--for example, the university clock--but if I
cannot swim, let me come out--I am going to the circus--I know very
well that you are standing there grinning at me, Cucumis--but I can
leap through the hoop, I can--and if that professor who is standing
smoking at my paraffin lamp had only conscientiously referred to
corpus juris, I should not now be lying here--in my night-shirt in the
middle of Karl Johan's Gade [Footnote: A principal street of
Christiania.]--but--' Then I sank into that deep, dreamless slumber
which only falls to the lot of an evil conscience when one is very
young.
I was in the saddle early next morning.

I don't know if the devil ever had shoes on, but I must suppose he had,
for his inspectors were in their boots, and they creaked past me, where I
sat in my misery with my face to the wall.
A professor walked round the rooms and looked at the victims.
Occasionally he nodded and smiled encouragingly, as his eye fell on
one of those miserable lick-spittles who frequent the lectures; but when
he discovered me, the smile vanished, and his ice-cold stare seemed to
write upon the wall over my head: 'Mene, mene! [Footnote: Dan. v. 25.]
Wretch, I know thee not!'
A pair of inspectors walked creakily up to the professor and fawned
upon him; I heard them whispering behind my chair. I ground my teeth
in silent wrath at the thought that these contemptible creatures were
paid for--yes, actually made their living by torturing me and some of
my best friends.
The door opened; a glimmering yellow light fell upon the white faces;
it called to mind 'The Victims of Terrorism' in Luxembourg. Then all
again became dark, and the black-robed emissary of the College flitted
through the room like a bat, with the famous white document in his
claws.
He began to read.
Never in my life had I been less inclined for leaping; and yet I started
violently at the first words. 'The monkey!' I had almost shouted; for he
it was--it was evidently the coffee-stain on page 496. The paper bore
precisely upon what I had read with so much energy the preceding
night.
And I began to write. After a short, but superior and assured preamble,
I introduced the high-sounding words of Schweigaard, 'One might thus
certainly assume,' etc., and hurried down the left page, with unabated
vigour down the right, reached the monkey, dashed past him, began to
grope and fumble, and then I found I could not write a word more.
I felt that something was wanting, but I knew that it was useless to
speculate; what a man can't do, he can't. I therefore made a full stop,
and went away long before any of the others were half finished.
He has dismounted, thought my fellow-sufferers, or he may have
leaped wide of the hoop. For it was a difficult paper.
* * * * *
'Why,' said the advocate, as he read, 'you are better than I thought. This

is pure Schweigaard. You have left out the last point, but that doesn't
matter very much; one can see that you are well up in these things. But
why, then, were you so pitiably afraid of the process yesterday?'
'I didn't know a thing.'
He laughed. 'Was it last night, then, that you learned your process?'
'Yes.'
'Did anyone help you?'
'Yes.'
'He must be a devil of a crammer who could put so much law into your
head in one night. May I ask what wizard it was?'
'A monkey!' I replied.

A TALE OF THE SEA.
Once there lay in a certain haven a large number of vessels. They had
lain there very long, not exactly on account of storm, but rather because
of a dead calm; and at last they had lain there until they no longer
heeded the weather.
All the captains had gradually become good friends; they visited from
ship to ship, and called one another 'Cousin.'
They were in no hurry to depart. Now and then a youthful steersman
might chance to let fall