His wife, who has returned from the tailor's and refreshed herself
with a cognac, asks him whether he feels inclined to make an excursion
with the children. No, he has letters to write.
When he has finished his letters, he goes out for a stroll before
dinner. He is longing for somebody to talk to. But he is alone. He
goes into the garden and looks for the children.
The stout nurse is sitting on a garden seat, reading Mrs. Leffler's
_True Women_ which his wife has lent her. The children are bored, they
want to run about or go for a walk.
"Why don't you take the children for a walk, Louisa?" he asks.
"Mistress said it was too hot."
His wife's orders!
He calls to the children and walks with them towards the high road;
suddenly he notices that their hands and faces are dirty and their
boots in holes.
"Why are the children allowed to wear such boots?" he asks Louisa.
"Mistress said...."
His wife said!
He goes for a walk by himself.
It is seven o'clock and dinner-time. The ladies have not yet returned
to the hotel. The two first courses have been served when they arrive
with flushed faces, talking and laughing loudly.
His wife and her friend are in high spirits and smell of cognac.
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