I wakened the next morning under a weight of apprehension.  The weather had changed and was fair now, but it felt oppressive nevertheless.  No one spoke loud, and people said as little as possible.  I was to be allowed to go with the rest and look on; so I made haste to find my tutor, whom I had been told not to leave.  The two clergymen came out in their cassocks.  We went down to the landing-place and rowed the first part of the way.  The condemned man and his escort had gone on before, and waited at the place where we disembarked, in order to walk the latter part of the way to the place of execution, a kilometer or so distant.  The execution had to take place at a cross-roads, and there was only one in the neighbourhood—­namely, at Ejdsvaag, nearly seven miles away from where the murder was committed.  The bailiff headed the procession, then came the soldiers, then the condemned man, with the Dean on one side and my father on the other, then Jacobsen and my tutor, with me between them, then some more people, followed by more soldiers.  We walked cautiously along the slippery road.  The clergyman talked constantly to the condemned man, who was now very pale.  His eyes had grown gentle and weary and he said very little.  My mother, who had been very kind to him, and whom he had thanked for all she had done, had sent him a bottle of wine to keep up his strength.  The first time that my tutor offered him some, he looked at the clergyman as though asking if there were anything sinful in accepting it.  My father quoted St. Paul’s advice to Timothy, and instantly he drank off a long draught.

By the wayside stood people curious to see him, and they joined the procession as it passed along.  Among them were some of his comrades, to whom he sorrowfully nodded.  Once or twice he lifted his cap, the same flat one I had seen him in the first time.  It was evident that his comrades had a regard for him; and I saw, too, some young women who were crying, and made no attempt to conceal it.  He walked along with his hands clasped at his breast, probably praying.

We were all startled by the captain’s loud and commonplace word of command, “Attention!” as we reached the appointed place.  A body of soldiers stood drawn up in a hollow square, which closed in after admitting the bailiff, the clergyman, the condemned man, and a few besides, among whom was myself.  A great silent crowd stood round, and over their heads one saw the mounted figure of the sheriff in his cocked hat.  When the soldiers who came with us, having carried out various sharp words of command, had taken their places in the square, the further proceedings began by the sheriff’s reading aloud the death sentence and the royal order for the execution.