er he went, and all agreed that Jacob Worse was a fine
old fellow.

It was not safe, however, to call him old to his face. "Old,
forsooth!" he would say, pushing his glass from him, when any one was
so ill-advised as to propose the health of "Old Worse."

Whenever during the fishing season he could find an opportunity for
going into the town with a cargo of herrings, he would hasten to
finish his work at the warehouse, and to wash himself.

He scrubbed himself with soap, and changed from top to toe. At the
same time, he was not quite certain that a little of the flavour of
the herring might not cling to him, and so--if Randulf should but
hear of it!--he sprinkled himself with scent, which Lauritz in all
secrecy had purchased for him.

Dressed, shaved, washed, and combed, with his grizzled hair sticking
up stiffly from above his ears--in such guise Captain Worse, of the
firm of Garman and Worse, sallied forth across the yard to woo.

On these occasions there was something almost chivalrous about him,
which became him well, and would have become him even better had he
been paying his attentions to the mother instead of to the daughter.

But to marry a serious, elderly widow was something which had never
occurred to the gay captain, and of this Madame Torvestad had long
been conscious.

Now that she had got him on the track, and had observed the youthful
ardour with which he followed it, madame changed her tactics, began
to hold back, would not understand his hints, and, when they became
obvious, raised innumerable objections.

Sarah should be purchased dearly. First, there was the great
difference of age; she must say it was greater than she had any idea
of; she never could have believed that Captain Worse was so much over
fifty.

That, however, was of comparatively little consequence. The most
important point was his religious state, his habit of swearing, his
worldly mindedness, manifested in his devotion to all things
pertaining to this life.

Worse admitted that he was not one of the best of men, but, at the
same time, he protested that he was very far from being the worst;
moreover, he might improve.

He would indeed have to improve, if it came to a question of marrying
Sarah. He would have to change many of his ways.

Worse promised everything; he felt certain that he could submit to
any number, even of the longest meetings, if he could but have Sarah
by his side, and could take her home with him aft