Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Part one - VII
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Cesca was lying on the bed sobbing, with her head deep in the
pillow. Jenny had not heard her come in.
“My dear, what is the matter? Are you ill?”
“No, but please go away, Jenny, do! I won’t tell you;
you’ll only say it’s my own fault.”
Jenny understood it was no good talking to her when she was
in that state, but at tea-time she knocked at her door. Cesca
thanked her, but did not want any tea.
That night, when Jenny was reading in bed, Cesca suddenly
came into the room in her nightdress. Her eyes were red and
swollen with crying.
“May I sleep with you tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”
Jenny made room for her. She did not like the idea of
sharing her bed, but Cesca used to come when she was very unhappy
and ask to be allowed to sleep with her.
“Go on reading, Jenny; I won’t disturb you. I shall lie
very still here by the wall.”
Jenny pretended to read for some time. Now and then a
sigh like a sob was heard from Francesca.
“Shall I put out the lamp, or would you like it burning?”
Jenny asked.
“No, put it out, please.”
In the dark she put her arm round Jenny and told her,
sobbing, that she had been to the Campagna again with Hjerrild,
and he had kissed her. At first she had just scolded him a
little, thinking it was only fun, but he soon became so
disgusting that she got angry. “And he wanted me to go and stay
at an hotel with him tonight. He said it exactly as he would
have asked me to go to a confectioner’s with him. I was
furious, and he got very angry and said some nasty, horrid
things.” She shivered as in a fever. “He spoke about Hans
— he said that Hans, when he showed him my picture, had
spoken to him about me in such a way as to make Hjerrild
believe — you know what I mean?” She nestled close to
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