Do you know anything of this Peter
Mortensgaard?
Mrs. Helseth. Not I! How could you think so, miss--a man like
that!
Rebecca. Because of that horrid paper he edits, you mean?
Mrs. Helseth. Not only because of that, miss. I suppose you have
heard that a certain married woman, whose husband had deserted
her, had a child by him?
Rebecca. I have heard it; but of course that was long before I
came here.
Mrs. Helseth. Bless me, yes--he was quite a young man then. But
she might have had more sense than he had. He wanted to marry
her, too, but that could not be done; and so he had to pay
heavily for it. But since then--my word!--Mortensgaard has risen in
the world. There are lots of people who run after him now.
Rebecca. I believe most of the poor people turn to him first when
they are in any trouble.
Mrs. Helseth. Oh, not only the poor people, miss--
Rebecca (glancing at her unobserved). Indeed?
Mrs. Helseth (standing at the sofa, dusting vigorously). People
you would least expect, sometimes, miss.
Rebecca (arranging the flowers). Yes, but that is only an idea of
yours, Mrs. Helseth. You cannot know that for certain.
Mrs. Helseth. You think I don't know anything about that for
certain, do you, miss? Indeed I do. Because--if I must let out the
secret at last--I carried a letter to Mortensgaard myself once.
Rebecca (turns round). No--did you!
Mrs.
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