"August 3, 5 A. M.--My little invalid is doing finely; he seemed to relish much a few dozen flies which I brought him in my hand. His pulse is to-day, for the first time, normal. He is beginning to step on the injured leg without apparent pain.
"10 A. M.--Miss Augusta's eyes have a strange, lustrous brilliancy whenever she speaks of subjects which seem to agitate the depths of her being. How and why is it that an excessive amount of feeling always finds its first expression in the eye? One kind of emotion seems to widen the pupil, another kind to contract it. TO be noticed in future, how particular emotions affect the eye.
"6 P. M.--I met a plover on the beach this afternoon. By imitating his cry, I induced him to come within a few feet of me. The plover, as his cry indicates, is a very melancholy bird. In fact I believe the melancholy temperament to be prevailing among the wading birds, as the phlegmatic among birds of prey.The singing birds are choleric or sanguine.Tease a thrush, or even a lark, and you will soon be convinced. A snipe, or plover, as far as my experience goes, seldom shows anger; you cannot tease them. To be considered, how far the voice of a bird may be indicative of its temperament.
"August 5, 9 P. M.--Since the unfortunate meeting yesterday morning, when my intense pre-occupation with my linnet, which had torn its wound open again, probably made me commit some breach of etiquette, Miss Augusta avoids me.
"August 7--I am in a most singular state. My pulse beats 85, which is a most unheard-of thing for me, as my pulse is naturally full and slow. And, strangely enough, I do not feel at all unwell. On the contrary, my physical well- being is rather heightened than otherwise. The life of a whole week is crowded into a day, and that of a day into an hour."Inga, who, at several points of this narrative, had been struggling hard to preserve her gravity, here burst into a ringing laugh.
"That is what I call scientific love-******," said Arnfinn, looking up from the book with an expression of subdued amusement.
"But Arnfinn," cried the girl, while the laughter quickly died out of herface, "does Mr. Strand know that you are reading this?""To be sure he does. And that is just what to my mind makes the situation so excessively comical. He has himself no suspicion that this book contains anything but scientific notes. He appears to prefer the empiric method in love as in philosophy. I verily believe that he is innocently experimenting with himself, with a view to ****** some great physiological discovery.""And so he will, perhaps," rejoined the girl, the mixture of gayety and grave solicitude ****** her face, as her cousin thought, particularly charming.
"Only not a physiological, but possibly a psychological one," remarked Arnfinn. "But listen to this. Here is something rich:
"August 9--Miss Augusta once said something about the possibility of animals being immortal. Her eyes shone with a beautiful animation as she spoke. I am longing to continue the subject with her. It haunts me the whole day long. There may be more in the idea than appears to a superficial observer.""Oh, how charmingly he understands how to deceive himself," cried Inga.
"Merely a quid pro quo," said Arnfinn. "I know what I shall do!""And so do I."
"Won't you tell me, please?" "No."
"Then I sha'n't tell you either."
And they flew apart like two thoughtless little birds ("sanguine," as Strand would have called them), each to ponder on some formidable plot for the reconciliation of the estranged lovers.
