The Birds Read Online Free Page B

nothing more I want to say now.”
    He looked straight into her eyes. At the same time he quietly bent his left arm, making his sleeve tear with a little rip. The enormous, smooth, round muscles glistened in the sun right in front of her face.
    “Nothing to worry about,” he said calmly. “I’ve got plenty of shirts.”
    “And the left arm?” she asked, full of amazement.
    “Yes,” he said, dismissing the matter, “the right sleeve got torn long ago.”
    She said no more, was so fascinated by what she saw that words failed her. That was how he had wished it. All his wishes were coming true. And what was more, he was able to say things in the right way.
    “Now you do just what you want,” he said to her. “You’re wonderful.”
    She came nearer at once.
    “I’m beginning to understand better now why I’ve been waiting so long,” he added.
    She remained silent the whole time – because she had a secret she wanted to tell him. All she did was come closer. She had waved her arm and all around the air had been filled with the song of the birds – now she moved her whole body and he was spellbound by her magic.
    Moved her whole body, and he couldn’t say what happened. Something nameless. She was coming nearer, that was all. She was close to him, born of the flight of a woodcock, she belonged to him.

8
    AS USUAL HEGE was the first to get up. Mattis was wide-awake, but stayed in bed reliving his dream. He heard Hege moving about in her room. Then she came out. Mattis hurriedly turned toward the wall and pretended to be asleep. That seemed the safest thing to do, after the way they’d parted last night.
    Hege stopped by him for a moment on her way out to the kitchen. Tense. But it passed. She moved on again. Soon he heard the familiar morning sounds of cups and knives.
    Things are going to be different, Mattis thought dreamily. He found his clothes and got dressed. Felt different already, seemed to be supported by two strong arms – the woodcock and the dream, one on each side. He couldn’t help listening to see if anything special was going to happen today as well. An unexpected word or some pleasant surprise might be waiting for him – now that things were different.
    Not yet. But today mustn’t be like any other day. He’d have to make sure of that himself.
    “Early bird,” he said to Hege from the kitchen door. Part of the old proverb came to him, and he used it instead of saying good morning.
    He felt unsure of himself. His last glimpse of Hege the nightbefore had been unbearably sad. He could only think it was his fault she’d been lying there turned to the wall, crying.
    And just afterward he’d had the dream!
    At any rate, Hege had got over it now after her night’s sleep. She stood there, small and agile, cutting bread. It almost looked as if she were making a special point of being carefree and unruffled, to smooth things over from last night. She answered his words about the early bird: “You’re in a good mood, aren’t you?”
    He laughed inwardly, but replied: “How do you mean?”
    “Well, aren’t you?”
    “You don’t know why,” he said.
    Not a word from her about last night. And then she almost went too far: “I think I do. It’s because you’re off to do something really big today, just as we said. And I’m sure the early bird will come home with the worm.”
    Ugh! He had forgotten he’d promised to go and look for work. But Hege hadn’t forgotten, that was pretty obvious. There was no denying this cast a shadow over his joy.
    “No, you’re wrong there,” he said.
    “But aren’t you—”
    “There’s a woodcock here now,” he interrupted her. He said it as one offering information, to explain the new state of affairs. Surely he wasn’t expected to make the painful trip round thefarms asking for work now, when so many pleasant things had happened.
    But Hege wasn’t the least bit moved.
    “So what?” she said. “What difference does it make whether there’s a