“There’s no getting rid of you!” exclaimed the woman, and with a swing of her arm struck her on the head. The girl burst into a howl.
Having finished my business there, I left the hut and went back to the widow.
She was outside her house, waiting for me, and again asked me to come and look at her calf. I went in, and in the passage there really was a calf. The widow asked me to look at it. I did so, feeling that she was so engrossed in her calf that she could not imagine that anyone could help being interested in seeing it.
Having looked at the calf, I stepped inside, and asked:
“Where is the old woman?”
“The old woman?” the widow repeated, evidently surprised that after having seen the calf, I could still be interested in the old woman. “Why, on the top of the oven! Where else should she be?”
I went up to the oven, and greeted the old woman.
“Oh! … oh!” answered a hoarse, feeble voice. “Who is it?”
I told her, and asked how she was getting on.
“What’s my life worth?”
“Are you in pain?”
“Everything aches! Oh! … oh!”
“The doctor is here with me; shall I call him in?”
“Doctor! … Oh! … oh! What do I want with your doctor? … My doctor is up there. … Oh! … oh!”