Selections from the WHtings of Kierkegaard 117
now explained her meaning with womanly eloquence. The judge looked down before him, without interrupting her; but as she continued he began to drum on the table with the fingers of his right hand, at the same time humming a tune. The words of the song were audible for a moment, just as the pattern of a texture now becomes visible, now disap- pears again ; and then again they were heard no longer as he hummed the tune of the song : "The goodman he went to the forest, to cut the wands so white." After this melo- dramatic performance, consisting in the justice's wife ex- plaining herself whilst he hummed his tune, the dialogue set in again. "I am thinking," he remarked, "I am think- ing you are ignorant of the fact that the Danish Law per- mits a man to castigate his wife'^ — a pity only that the law does not indicate on which occasions it is permitted." His wife ?miled at his threat and continued : "Now why can I never get you to be serious when I touch on this matter? You do not understand me : believe me, I mean it sincerely, it seems to me a very beautiful thought. Of course, if you 'veren't my husband I would not dare to entertain it; but now I have done' so, for your sake and for my sake ; and now be nice and serious, for my sake, and answer me frankly." "No, you can't get me to be serious, and a serious answer you won't get ; I must either laugh at j' ou, or make you for- get it, as before, or beat you ; or else you must stop talking pbout it, or I shall have to make you keep silent about it some other way. You see, it is a joke, and that is why there are so many ways out." He arose, pressed a kiss on her brow, laid her arm in his, and then disappeared in a leafy valk which led from the arbor.
The arbor was empty; there was nothing else to do, so the hostile corps of occupation withdrew without making any gains. Still, the others were content with uttering
^'"According to the Jutland Laws (A. D. 1241) a man is oermitted to punish his wife, when she has misbehaved, with stick and with rod, but not with weapon. In the Danish Law (1683) this right is restricted to children and servants. S. V.
