afterwards he heard stealthy footsteps, and then the clock began
to strike again; and it struck and struck, fifty times--a hundred
times. It really was uncanny!

And now a luminous tuft shot into his bedroom and threw a figure
on the wall, a strange figure, something like a fylfot, and it came
from the sitting-room. There was a light, then, in the sitting-room?
But who had lit it? And there was a tinkling of glasses, just as
if guests were there; champagne glasses of cut-crystal; but not a
word was uttered. And now he heard more sounds, sounds of canvas
being furled, or clothes passed through a mangle, or something of
that sort.

The conductor felt compelled to get up and look, and he went,
commending his soul into the hands of the Almighty.

Well, first of all he saw Louisa's print-dress disappearing through
the kitchen door; then he saw blinds, but blinds which had been
pulled up; he saw the dining-table covered with flowers, arranged
in glasses; as many flowers as there had been on his wedding-day
when he had brought his bride home.

And behold! The sun, the sun shone right into his face, shone on
blue fjords and distant woods; it was the sun which had illuminated
the sitting-room and played all the little tricks. He blessed the
sun which had been up so early in the morning and made a game of
the sluggard. And he blessed the memory of her whom he called the
sun of his life. It was not a new name, but he could not think of
a better one, and as it was, it was good enough.