human
Did you speak to them, Anna?
gpt
No; they did not see me.
human
But surely, Anna, this was not done in the open street!
gpt
No; that's where the villainy of it is. You know the archway on the right hand side of the Court of Public Justice. At this time of the day scarcely any one passes through it. I should not have done so had I not wanted to go to the Blind House to give Mother Morel her paper of snuff. She is ninety-eight, but her nose is in splendid condition. It is the only sense she has left to enjoy. She is blind, she is deaf, she mumbles so that it is impossible to understand a word she says, and she has scarcely any feeling in her. Her nose is the only thing she has left which convinces her that she still belongs to this world; it is her sole comfort. Well, when I went through the archway no one was there, and outside the archway there were only the pigeons picking up the crumbs; but when I came back from the Blind House, there, in the darkest corner of the archway, was your treasure, Gideon Wolf--
human
Don't call him my treasure, I interrupted, mildly;
gpt
I have not a high opinion of him.
human
Why did you take him as your apprentice, then? I warned you how it would be.
gpt
Is it possible, I cried, testily,
human
There was Gideon Wolf in the very darkest part of it, with his arm round Katrine's waist. And unless my ears are mistaken, I heard the sound of a kiss.
gpt
When two young people are together like that, Anna, it is not an unlikely thing to happen.
human
Well, she asked, sharply,
gpt
That is a difficult question to answer. What can I do?
human
There is no difficulty. You must prevent it from going any further.
gpt
How, Anna? In what way? Gideon is no longer my apprentice he is his own master; he is an independent workman.
human
A fine workman he has turned out to be! she cried, scornfully.
gpt
Over and over again have I said to myself, 'Why does Master Fink keep such a creature in the house? Why does he not bid him pack and be off?' It would not be believed if people knew all.