In the meantime Hulda regained strength but slowly.  The poor girl lived only upon the recollection of Ole; and her hope of seeing him again grew fainter from day to day.  It is true, she had near her the two beings she loved best in the world; and one of them never ceased to encourage her; but would that suffice?  Was it not necessary to divert her mind at any cost?  But how was her mind to be diverted from the gloomy thoughts that bound her, as it were, to the shipwrecked “Viking?”

The 12th of July came.  The drawing of the Christiania Schools Lottery was to take place in four days.

It is needless to say that Sandgoist’s purchase had come to the knowledge of the public.  The papers announced that the famous ticket bearing the number 9672 was now in the possession of M. Sandgoist, of Drammen, and that this ticket would be sold to the highest bidder; so, if M. Sandgoist was now the owner of the aforesaid ticket, he must have purchased it for a round sum of Hulda Hansen.

Of course this announcement lowered the young girl very decidedly in public estimation.  What!  Hulda Hansen had consented to sell the ticket belonging to her lost lover?  She had turned this last memento of him into money?

But a timely paragraph that appeared in the “Morgen-Blad” gave the readers a true account of what had taken place.  It described the real nature of Sandgoist’s interference, and how the ticket had come into his hands.  And now it was upon the Drammen usurer that public odium fell; upon the heartless creditor who had not hesitated to take advantage of the misfortunes of the Hansen family, and as if by common consent the offers which had been made while Hulda held the ticket were not renewed.  The ticket seemed to have lost its supernatural value since it had been defiled by Sandgoist’s touch, so that worthy had made but a bad bargain, after all, and the famous ticket, No. 9672, appeared likely to be left on his hands.

It is needless to say that neither Hulda nor Joel was aware of what had been said, and this was fortunate, for it would have been very painful to them to become publicly mixed up in an affair which had assumed such a purely speculative character since it came into the hands of the usurer.

Late on the afternoon of the 12th of July, a letter arrived, addressed to Professor Sylvius Hogg.

This missive, which came from the Naval Department, contained another which had been mailed at Christiansand, a small town situated at the mouth of the Gulf of Christiania.  It could hardly have contained any news, however, for Sylvius Hogg put it in his pocket and said nothing to Joel or his sister about its contents.

But when he bade them good-night on retiring to his chamber, he remarked: 

“The drawing of the lottery is to take place in three days as you are, of course, aware, my children.  You intend to be present, do you not?”

“What is the use, Monsieur Sylvius?” responded Hulda.