Helene, however, had not hitherto known the direction and results of his studies.  He was an engineer, that was all that she had heard on the subject.  When he had told her more about it he rose considerably in her estimation.  It was she now who began to feel constrained.  At first she did not understand why she felt obliged to put more restraint upon herself.  After a time she began to excuse herself from joining him, and their walks became more rare.  “She had so much to do now.”

He did not comprehend the reason of this; he fancied that his mother might be to blame (which, by the way, was quite a mistake), and he grew angry.  He was already greatly affronted that his mother had chosen to confound his former gallantries with his present attachment.  He quite forgot that at first he had merely sought to amuse himself here as elsewhere.  He gave himself up entirely to his passion, which would brook no hindrance, no opposition; it became majestic.  In Helene he had found his future life.

But her parents had grown less cordial of late owing to Fru Kaas’s coldness, and the time came when all attempts to obtain meetings with Helene failed.  He had never been so infatuated.  He seemed to see her continually before him—­her luxuriant beauty, her light step, her grey eyes gazing steadfastly into his.

Why could they not be married to-morrow or the next day?  What could be more natural?  What could more certainly help him forward?

The constraint between his mother and himself had reached a greater pitch than ever before.  He thought seriously of leaving her and the country.  He still had some money left, the proceeds of the patent, and he could easily make more.  How irksome it became to him to go into the fields and woods without Helene!  He could not study; he had no one to talk to; what should he do?

Devote himself to boating!—­row out far beyond the bay, right up to the town!  One day, as he rowed along the coast, beyond the bay, he noticed that the clay and flag-stone formation in the hills and ridges was speckled with grey.  Helene had told him how extraordinary it looked out there now that the trees were gone, but as they would have had to come out in the boat to see it he had let the remark pass.  Now he decided to land there.  The shore rose steeply from the water, but he scrambled up.  He had expected to find limestone, but he could hardly believe his own eyes:  it was cement stone!  Absolutely, undoubtedly, cement stone!  How far did it extend?  As far as he could see; it might even extend to the boundary of the estate.  In any case, here was sufficient for extensive works for many, many years, if only there were enough silica with the clay and lime.  He had soon knocked off a few pieces, which he put into the boat, and set out for home to analyse them.

Seldom had any one rowed faster than he did; now he shot past the islands into the bay, up to the landing-place before the house.  If the cement stone contained the right proportions, here was what would make Helene and himself independent of every one; and that at once!