"And what is your name, my dear? Come, there's nothing
to blush about. Nicoline? First-rate! And you? Lusiana? That's right."
He looked at the red-rimmed basin, and, taking it up, all but emptied it
at a draught, then, wiping his beard, took breath. "Phu!--that was good.
Well, so here I am." And he looked around the room and at each of them
in turn, and smiled, and drummed with his fingers, and said, "Well,
well--well, well," and seemed much amused with everything in general.
"By the way, Nicoline," he said suddenly, "since you're so well up in
titles, I'm not 'Captain' any more now; they've sent me up this way as
Lieutenant-Colonel, and my wife has just had a house left her in your
town here, so we may be coming to settle down in these parts. And
perhaps you'd better send letters to me through a friend in future. But
we can talk about all that by and by. Well, well--well, well." And all
the time he was drumming with his fingers on the table and smiling. Peer
noticed that he wore gold sleeve-links and a fine gold stud in his broad
white shirt-front.
And then a little packet was produced. "Hi, Peer, come and look; here's
something for you." And the "something" was nothing less than a real
silver watch--and Peer was quite unhappy for the moment because he
couldn't dash off at once and show it to all the other boys. "There's
a father for you," said the old wife, clapping her hands, and almost
in tears. But the visitor patted her on the shoulder.
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