While he was sitting at supper that evening, Marit said with a little laugh: "Do you know that the widow down at Lidarende has started helping Wangen?"
"No." But it was a piece of news that stung, and he thought of that active woman with the bright face that usually smiled at him; but suddenly her face seemed to become grave, to turn away from him towards Wangen.
It would be a nice thing indeed if they began to doubt Wangen's guilt in the parish. If they one and all continued to believe in it, so that Norby could be at peace with God Almighty, he might still make his confession. But he _would_ have peace. They must not think they could take him by force.
Something healthy within him seemed to begin to growl and rise in opposition whenever any one irritated him. He could not get this woman, who was on her way to Wangen to help him, out of his head. The master of the parish school, who had defeated Norby in the school committee, was a friend of hers. The fool! Norby soon saw him accompanying her in order to join Wangen, and at night, when he lay in bed, he saw yet others leaving him to go over to the adversary.
"Just see if my enemies don't make this an opportunity of injuring me!" he thought, and the anger that this roused made him still stronger. What a relief it was to be able to turn his eyes away from himself, and instead occupy his thoughts with what was possibly taking place in the parish! He wouldn't wonder if his enemies utilised the opportunity.
One day he heard that his old enemy, Lawyer Basting, was going to defend Wangen, and that he was not only going to insist upon an acquittal, but claim enormous damages. Wangen, moreover, had found witnesses who would prove that for a long time Norby had done all he could to injure his business.
Norby began to laugh, and then sprang up and began to bustle about with his thumb hooked into the armhole of his waistcoat. After a time he stopped and drew a long breath as if of relief.
"No, really, Marit! The wolf's beginning to howl now. Basting! So that hedge-lawyer has at last got a case, has he? Ha, ha! And then these lies about my having----No, this is really too much, Marit!"
"Isn't that just what I said?" said Marit.
From that day forward the parish was always in Knut Norby's mind, that parish which he saw best when he closed his eyes. All that every one now did was to walk along roads and sit in rooms and gather together and take sides in this matter. He guessed more and more who were gathering against him. He would perhaps be left quite alone at last; and they would make use of this in order to do for him entirely. Mind and health grew stronger and stronger in Knut Norby. It was too bad of Christian people to go and witness falsely against him. He had never wanted to injure Wangen's business, never!