myself went out
to make the post-mortem.

Ellida. Yes, it was you.

Wangel. It was the second mate who had murdered him.

Ellida. No one can say that. For it was never proved.

Wangel. There was enough against him anyhow, or why should he have
drowned himself as he did?

Ellida. He did not drown himself. He sailed in a ship to the north.

Wangel (startled). How do you know?

Ellida (with an effort). Well, Wangel--it was this second mate to whom I
was--betrothed.

Wangel (springing up). What! Is it possible!

Ellida. Yes, it is so. It was to him!

Wangel. But how on earth, Ellida! How did you come to betroth yourself
to such a man? To an absolute stranger! What is his name?

Ellida. At that time he called himself Friman. Later, in his letters he
signed himself Alfred Johnston.

Wangel. And where did he come from?

Ellida. From Finmark, he said. For the rest, he was born in Finland, had
come to Norway there as a child with his father, I think.

Wangel. A Finlander, then?

Ellida. Yes, so he called himself.

Wangel. What else do you know about him?

Ellida. Only that he went to sea very young. And that he had been on
long voyages.

Wangel. Nothing more?

Ellida. No. We never spoke of such things.

Wangel. Of what did you speak, then?

Ellida. We spoke mostly about the sea.

Wangel. Ah! About the sea--

Ellida. About storms and calm. Of dark nights at sea. And of the sea
in the glittering sunshiny days we spoke also. But we spoke most of the
whales, and the dolphins, and the seals who lie out there on the rocks
in the midday sun. And then we spoke of the gulls, and the eagles, and
all the other sea birds. I think--isn't it wonderful?--when we talked of
such things it seemed to me as if both the sea beasts and sea birds were
one with him.

Wangel. And with you?

Ellida. Yes; I almost thought I belonged to them all, too.

Wangel. Well, well! And so it was that you betrothed yourself to him?

Ellida. Yes. He said I must.

Wangel. You must? Had you no will of your own, then?

Ellida. Not when he was near. Ah! afterwards I thought it all so
inexplicable.

Wangel. Were you often together?

Ellida. No; not very often. One day he came out to our place, and looked
over the lighthouse. After that I got to know him, and we met now and
again. But then that happened about the captain, and so he had to go
away.

Wangel. Yes, yes. Tell me more about that.

Ellida. It was just daybreak when I h