I get my board and whatever else I need from my uncle, I also live with him, quite comfortably—in fact, we have plenty of everything, because my uncle makes his living as a coal dealer. But I do make a small contribution toward my support, especially now in the summertime when we sell hardly any coal. This is as true as I’m sitting here telling you. There are some days when ten øre comes in handy, I always buy something for the money and take it home. But as far as the deputy is concerned, he enjoys seeing me dance simply because I have a hernia and can’t dance properly.”

“So your uncle goes along with your dancing for pay like that in Market Square?”

“No, no, not at all, you mustn’t think that. He often says, ‘Away with that clown money!’ Yes, he often calls it clown money when I bring him my ten øre, and he scolds me because people make a laughingstock of me.”

“Well, this was the first thing. How about the second?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“How about the second.”

“I don’t follow.”

“You said that, in the first place, you were a stupid man. Well, what comes next, in the second place?”

“Oh, if I said so, I apologize.”

“So you’re just stupid?”

“I sincerely beg your pardon!”

“Was your father a parson?”

“Yes, my father was a parson.”

Pause.

“Listen,” Nagel says, “if you have nothing else to do, let’s go to my place for a while, up to my room, would you like that? Do you smoke? Good! This way, please, I live upstairs. I’ll be very grateful for your visit.”

To everyone’s great surprise, Nagel and Miniman went up to the second floor, where they spent the whole evening together.

III

MINIMAN FOUND A CHAIR for himself and lighted a cigar.

“You don’t drink, do you?” Nagel asked.

“No, I don’t drink much, it makes me confused, and before long I see double,” his visitor replied.

“Have you ever had champagne? Yes, of course you have?”

“Yes, many years ago, at my parents’ silver wedding; then I drank champagne.”

“Did it taste good?”

“Yes, I remember it tasted very good.”

Nagel rang and got some champagne.

As they sip at their glasses while smoking, Nagel suddenly says, looking intently at Miniman, “Tell me—well, it’s only a question and maybe you will find it ridiculous; but could you, for a certain sum, assume paternity for a child whose father you were not? Just an idea that crossed my mind.”

Miniman gazed at him with wide-open eyes and remained silent.

“For a modest sum, fifty kroner, or let’s say up to a couple of hundred kroner?” Nagel asks. “The exact amount doesn’t really matter.”

Miniman shakes his head and is silent for a long time.

“No,” he then replies.

“You couldn’t? I would pay the amount in cash.”

“It makes no difference. No, I couldn’t do it, I can’t be of any service to you in this.”

“Why not, exactly?”

“Don’t ask me, let me be. I’m a human being.”

“Well, maybe I asked for too much. Why should you do anyone a favor like that? But I would like to ask you one more question: Are you willing to—could you, for five kroner, go around town with a newspaper or a paper bag fastened to your back, starting from the hotel and walking by way of Market Square and the quays—could you do that? For five kroner?”

Miniman bows his head in shame and repeats mechanically, “Five kroner.” That was all he answered.

“Oh well, ten kroner if you like; let’s say ten kroner. So you could do it for ten, could you?”

Miniman brushes his hair from his forehead. “I can’t understand why all those who come here know in advance that I am a laughingstock to everybody,” he says.

“As you see, I can hand you the money right away,” Nagel goes on. “It’s all up to you.”

Miniman glues his eyes to the bill, stares helplessly at the money for a moment, licking his chops for it, and exclaims, “Yes, I—”

“Pardon me!” Nagel says quickly. “Pardon me for interrupting you,” he says again to prevent the other one from talking. “What’s your name? I don’t know—I don’t think you told me what your name is.”

“My name is Grøgaard.”

“Grøgaard. Are you related to the Grøgaard who was a member of the Constitutional Assembly?”

“Oh, yes.”

“What were we talking about? Grøgaard, indeed? Well, in that case you obviously wouldn’t want to earn these ten kroner that way, would you?”

“No,” Miniman whispers, vacillating.

“Now, listen to me,” Nagel says, speaking very slowly. “I’ll gladly give you this ten-krone bill because you didn’t want to do what I proposed to you. And, besides that, I’ll let you have another ten-krone bill if you’ll give me the pleasure of accepting it. Don’t jump up; this small good turn doesn’t bother me, I’ve got lots of money right now, quite a lot of money, it won’t cause me any financial difficulty.” Having taken out the money, Nagel added, “It’s a great pleasure to do this for you. There you are!”

Miniman is speechless, his good fortune is turning his head and he begins to fight back his tears. He blinks his eyes and swallows. Nagel says, “You must be around forty?”

“Forty-three, I’m past forty-three.”

“Now, put the money in your pocket. You’re most welcome! —What’s the name of that deputy we talked to in the café?”

“That I don’t know, we simply call him the deputy. He’s a deputy in the judge’s office.”

“Oh well, it’s of no importance. Tell me—”

“Pardon me!” Miniman can’t hold back any longer, he’s overwhelmed and absolutely wants to explain himself, though he stammers like a child. “I beg your pardon, please forgive me!” he says. And for a long time he can’t utter another word.

“What did you want to say?”

“Thank you, thank you sincerely from a sincere ...”

Pause.

“That’s all done with.”

“No, wait a moment!” Miniman cried.