"THE SEAGULL'S LAUGHTER" "Can you open the gate for me, or do I have to climb over?" "Is Juliana at home?" "Granny?" "Yes, she's at home." "Look who's back?" "Little cousin Freya, who went to America." "Please come in." " Would you like some coffee?" " Yes, please." "Freya, from America." "Welcome back." "Is your husband here too?" "He couldn't come?" "Is he still in the army?" "He's dead." "Wow." "Rita Hayworth uses that scent." "What happened to your husband?" "He died two months ago." "Had a heart attack one day while I was defrosting the fridge." "You had a fridge?" "I felt lonely." "So I decided to come back." "Where are you going to live?" "I haven't decided yet." "But I'm sure I can find a small apartment somewhere." "You won't find anything around here." "There's such a shortage of housing some people are having to share beds." "I could live in a guesthouse." " A guesthouse?" " They're terribly expensive!" "You can always stay here until you find something." "Where would she sleep?" "She could have Dad's workroom." "Freya is a lady." "She'll have the big room to herself." "Dodo can sleep on the couch in Ninna's room." "That's settled." "Granny, where am I supposed to sleep when Granddad comes home?" "You can sleep on the cot, in with Cousin Freya." "The cot." "I won't sleep on a cot." "And I won't sleep in with her." "She isn't my cousin." "That's enough, Agga." "You'll use the cot." "Granny, there's something evil about that woman." "Have you seen her eyes?" "Shame on you for talking such nonsense." "In this house we show our guests hospitality." "No matter who they are or whether or not we like their eyes." "You should be ashamed of yourself." "You damned women are always complaining!" "Freya's come back." " What's that?" " Freya's come back." "Freya?" "Yep." "From America." "Wow!" "just look at this." "You could open a shop." "That's not a bad idea." "Disa!" "Disa!" "You can have it." "No, that would be too much." "Don't start crying now." "What have you got there?" "Schnapps." "What will Granddad say?" "He's never allowed drink in the house, or anyone under the influence." "He can't say much, can he, over there in England?" "In the movies, fine ladies drink liqueurs with coffee and cake." "Cheers." "Well, if it isn't little Agga Lagga." "The lady from America, Freya... brought seven trunks of dresses with her." "Freya?" "Wasn't she the chubby one... who got in with the American troops during the war?" "Chubby?" "She's like a broomstick." " Is her husband with her?" " Nope." "His heart gave out." "Had a scare or something." "He can't have been very old." "Only a year or two older than her." " How could he die of a heart attack, then?" " What?" "Did they have children?" "Freya hasn't got any kids." "She's got tons of clothes, though." " Gave us loads of them." " I see." " You must all be very happy." " No way." "I don't want her in the house." "She's colder than a corpse." "I think she's a liar too." "And to turn up just like that, on Easter morning... before people are even up." "I don't give a damn if her mom grew up with my granny." "She's evil." "You're really upset about it." "What has she done to make you say she's evil?" "Nothing." "I just sense it." "Agga!" "Was there any juicy gossip in the dairy?" "You certainly don't eat much." "How tall are you?" "I can't imagine not eating fish or meat." "It can't be healthy." "Five foot seven." " How much do you weigh?" " 1 1 4 pounds." "1 1 4 pounds?" "And your waistline?" "Wow." "Just over twenty inches." "She has a narrow pelvis." "And no stomach." "But her bust is certainly well developed." "It's about all the flesh she's got." "And how long is your hair?" "I met Magnus, the policeman." "I remember him." "He joined up just before I went to America." "He remembers you too." "Does he?" "He said: "The chubby one who got in with the Americans?"" "See where she goes." " Hello, Agga." " Hi, Granddad." "Can someone give me a hand?" "Granny wants to get central heating." "Is she going on about that again?" "And there's this woman from America staying with us." "So she's moved in, then?" "Yep." "She's staying until she finds a new husband, I think." "As if there weren't enough of these damned women already." "Well." "There's been no lamb in the shops since before Easter... so I have no stew for you today." "Hello." "Hello." "Welcome to Iceland." "Thanks." "So you're back from America with no husband?" "What happened to your army officer?" "I killed him!" "I told her you might be looking for a job." "Told who?" "Emily, the pharmacist's daughter." "That's why her dad rang and offered you the job." "He's finishing some special engineering course in Germany." "She's been waiting for him all these years." "Twenty-five and still not engaged." "You remember Teddy, the doctor's son?" "I certainly do." "He called me "fatty"... on the skating rink twelve years ago." "I remember Birna too." "She and her friends cornered me in the school playground... and made fun of me." "Because of the color of my eyes... they called me "frozen fish."" "Forward." "Turn." "The fly." "They'll be amazed by my dress." "They know I haven't a penny." "Stop always feeling inferior and downtrodden." "Let these right-wing exploiters gape and stare." "Do them good to know ordinary people can put on their glad rags too." "Look." "Welcome back." "Thanks." "Do violets grow in America?" "Only this one." "Where have you been, you beautiful thing?" "You have a way with words." "Why don't I remember you from before?" "Was I blind?" "Or were you invisible?" "I think my body blocked your sight in those days." "Out over the black ocean" "I sing my love songs" "I dwell in glorious daydreams of places from long ago" "You were the angel of my youth" "My love was devoted to you" "When I think of times gone by" "My thoughts wander off" "Do you remember us sitting together" "In the still of the summer night" "The sun had just gone down" "In the sleepy little town" "Step out now!" "With the sound of harps playing And happiness swaying" "Our hearts were beating fast" "Everything was still..." "Do you want to know what time Freya came home?" "5:00." "5:1 3." "What do you want now, young lady?" "Nothing." "Why were you watching my house?" "Your house?" "Is it yours?" "And who's supposed to ask the questions here, you or me?" "Granny's annoyed about something." "Either because Freya was with this man... or because Dodo was with some playboy from Reykjavik." "I don't know if your Granddad, the old socialist... will be happy when he finds out who Freya is with." "Some people won't be pleased, that's for sure." "Why won't some people be pleased?" "Well, firstly, Theodor was supposed to be engaged... to my cousin Birna, who is a magistrate's daughter." "Secondly, because your cousin is a widow, and a working-class girl." "Tell me something." "Have you had any more insights... into the character of the lady from America?" "Are you in love with that engineer?" "I can't imagine why I shouldn't be." "He's well-mannered and well-educated." "Do you think he's nice?" "In a way, yes." "We walked along the beach, past the cliffs... where Theodor used to swim in the sea as a boy." "Then we took the path up through the fish-drying racks." "He's got muscular thighs." "Does a lot of running in Germany." "I picked a bunch of buttercups." "They glowed red in the light of the setting sun." "We tried to thread them into the braids in my hair." "Then Theodor got hungry." "What did he do when he got hungry?" "Ate some fish from the drying racks." "But what did you do after the dance ended?" "You didn't come home until 5:1 3?" "5:1 3?" "The night." "Ah, the night!" "The nights are swathed in gossamer... which turns purple in the hours before dawn... until the sun appears in the east... probing and powerful." "Then everything comes to life." "The plovers scuttle between the grass tufts." "The flies start buzzing." "The pebbles start rolling in the morning tide." "Where were you?" "He's gone abroad again to finish his degree." "He's going to write to me." "There are no letters to your house from abroad." " You must have forgotten it." " What nonsense, girl." "Probably a whole pile of them in the post office." "A bottle of rubbing alcohol." "Is that all, sir?" "Freya." "I'd like to do your hair for you some day." "Could I?" "Hilli, that would be great." "Did you get served?" "She's a messenger from God." "Or His relative." "This is proof, absolute proof... that God is a woman." "No letters." "Want some supper?" "No, I'm not hungry." "It's getting to be ridiculous." "The child's dying of starvation." "Freya is no child." "And she doesn't need to eat." "You're like a coat hanger yourself." "Hello!" "He's a nice boy from a good home." "They have hot water and an electric stove." "He smokes Chesterfields." "Are our families considered equal?" "Magnus the policeman said that Theodor... shouldn't be going with a widow, and a working-class girl... instead of a magistrate's daughter." "Are you going to throw away your king on that?" "You go on up to bed now." "Go on, off with you." "Of course his mother wouldn't be pleased... being the town's leading lady and a pastor's daughter too." "Our Freya is much prettier and nicer than her Birna." "I'll crucify him!" "No, Freya, that's not the right thing to do." "Good-bye." "See you tomorrow." "The Theater Club is rehearsing a musical about Prince Olaf." "And I think you should take the part of the fairy queen." " Me?" " Who else?" "You could have your hair down, or maybe up behind your ears." "Or up in front?" "Exactly." "Up in front and back behind your ears." "Why not?" "Okay, I'll do it." " Juliana!" "Freya!" " What's going on?" "Mom went mad and smashed up the kitchen!" "You boys come in here with me." "What's going on here, Disa?" "Gummi's been two-timing me for months... and now he's roaring drunk." "Keep away from me!" "Stop!" "You don't know what you're doing." "There are plenty of other men around." "Forget that bum!" "Think of your boys, Disa." "If you kill yourself, you'll always regret it." "Disa, God doesn't take people who kill themselves." "Watch." "Smell it." "No wonder Gummi got himself another woman." "I'm such a hag." "You are not." "I've got a huge belly, and I'm cross-eyed." "You have the most beautiful heart in town, Disa." "Gummi doesn't see it." "Maybe he's not a good man." "He's a bastard!" "No man wants a cross-eyed wife." "You aren't cross-eyed." "One eye's just a bit lazy sometimes, that's all." "Show me a woman in town... with a more beautiful nose and mouth than you." "If you can, then as my name is Freya..." "I'll move to America again." "Not only has he been chasing women since Easter." "He's been drinking too." "Sometimes he hits me when he's at his worst." "It's all because he has no job." "I've never understood... how unemployed men never lack money for tobacco and drink." "Where's that damn woman, you bitches?" "Disa and the children are staying with us for a bit." "We've come to pick up some clothes, if you don't mind." "I damn well do mind, you damn interfering cow." "Get the hell out of my house... and tell that bag to get her arse over here." "This is where she belongs." "Understand?" "This is where she belongs." "Now get the hell out." "Out!" "Damn cows!" "just you wait, mister." "Can you fetch your mother, please?" "That's a bit difficult." " Why?" " She's dead." "Come in, gentlemen." "Upstairs with you." "Please come in." "We would like a word with Disa." "I'm afraid we have some bad news." "Your husband seems to have fallen asleep while smoking... and the result was a terrible fire that destroyed the house." "He is in the hospital... unconscious from smoke inhalation." "He is not expected to live." "Was that woman with him?" "No." "There wasn't a soul there apart from him." "Murder, really?" "And what film was that in, now, Agga?" "The one about the woman who came from America... barged into the home of a so-called cousin... and burned her friend's husband to death because he was rude to her." "Freya went out that night and set fire to Disa's house." "She got some rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy." "She sneaked into the house... and poured it over the man while he was asleep." "Then she came back home and hid the empty bottle in a drawer." "I saw her trying to hide it." "What an imagination." "I didn't know it ran in your family." " Have you been fiddling with alcohol?" " What?" "Have you kids been playing with alcohol?" "No." "I'm telling you that Freya... went out that night and set fire to that man." "Freya often goes for walks late at night." "A beautiful woman has to look after her figure." "What made you dream up a whole film script about her?" "What has she done to hurt you?" "Where are the newspapers?" "I want to see them now." "Freya's locked herself in her room!" "What's going on now?" "The magistrate's wife and the doctor's wife... stopped her getting the part of the fairy queen." "Said she can't sing and can't speak Icelandic properly." "So she's not good enough for them." "You women." "Always complaining about something." "You should try life on deck waiting for the next wave." "All a man asks for... after being tossed about on the open sea... is to be able to read the papers in peace." "And it might be a comfort to Freya to know... that in this town, socialist families... count for more than conservatives." "I wish you'd put that filthy thing out." "Are you still going to play the part of the fairy queen?" "I don't have to play a part." "I am a fairy queen." "Hello there." " Don't you think it's cold?" " Yes, very." "Look, I'm sorry about this... but the Women's Institute and the Superintendent... want you to help in the fight against Bacchus." "Bacchus?" "Who's that?" "What's his second name?" "You know what I mean." "Sorry, I don't." "I'm only working-class, remember." "I'm asking you to stop serving the drunks with alcohol." "Of course." "Look, that so-and-so's bringing me flowers." "There's something strange about you." "Happy birthday." "Now go and eat as much as you want." "Let's play cards." "Must be the richest men at the party." "Can I offer you gentlemen some refreshments?" "Thank you." "Help yourselves." "Well, hello." "Fancy meeting you here." "I didn't know you knew Luther." "I came with the magistrate." "We're all on the board of the rescue team." "I didn't know the rescue team was run from abroad." "But do help yourself to some cakes." "I'm sorry I didn't get around to writing you a letter." "Letter?" "What letter?" "But I got a letter from you, didn't I?" "I get so many letters from abroad." "Perhaps it was from America." "Isn't that where you were?" "No?" "Where were you, again?" "Poland?" "In Germany." "Also in Italy." "I must be losing my marbles." "Deliver us from evil." "Temptation... power." "My will be done on earth as in temptation... for mine is the kingdom... the power and the glory... deliver us from evil." " Stop this nonsense!" " Throw the bastard out!" "Granddad, Freya's gone mad!" "Freya's gone mad!" " What's going on?" " She's raving!" "This country swallows you." "It's cold, dark and full of evil." "I can't stand it." "I can't stand the stink of fish... the ration coupons... the nose-blowing, the burping, the staring and rudeness... and the screeching of the birds." "Juliana tells me you never eat anything." "The seagulls mew and scream behind the pharmacy." "At night I can hear their laughter all the way up here." "Freya, couldn't you go dancing like other young women do?" "Go dancing?" "Now?" "No, I mean when you're well again." "Go dancing with healthy young men." "It's not pneumonia." "just a touch of bronchitis." "And I think malnutrition plays a part in it too." "She must stay in bed for a week." "And have good nourishment." "Warm milk, oatmeal porridge." "You were jumbling up the Lord's Prayer." " Really?" " Do you believe in God?" "I've never had much to do with him." "He's probably quite a nice and harmless old guy, though." "Didn't you know he created Jesus and redeemed the world?" "Did he, now?" "That must have been while I was in America." "That's what you get for going away." "You miss out on everything." "Hilli." "I've still got this awful headache." "Your hair's so heavy." "But I've got the solution." "We'll tie it up." " Tie it up?" " Yes, tie it up." "Teach me how to kiss you right..." "And also how to hold you tight..." "And I'll repay with true, true love..." " Hello." " Is Dodo home?" "You little creep!" "I'm going to throw up!" "Don't be like that now, Dodo, have some good solid food." "Answer it, Agga!" " Hello." " Could I speak to Dodo, please?" "He wants to speak to Dodo." "Tell him I've moved out." "She's moved out." "Tell her I was at sea off Greenland for six weeks... and didn't have time to say good-bye." "He was at sea near Greenland and couldn't say good-bye." "Tell him to go to hell!" "Why couldn't your folks tell her you were away at sea?" "I don't know." "She's been really miserable." "Nearly died." "And hasn't brushed her hair at all." "Hang up, idiot!" "Tell her I want to give her a ring." "He wants to give you a ring." "I suppose he bought it in Greenland?" " Did you buy it in Greenland?" " High Street in Reykjavik." "High Street." "Tell her she's the most beautiful girl in Iceland." "You're the most beautiful girl in Iceland." "Hang up." "Errol Flynn is getting married at Christmas." "Can I speak to Dodo, please?" " Lots of men in the cells today?" " No, none." "You said there were always lots of drunks at Christmas." "All the liquor stores are closed." "And your cousin hasn't been in any condition to sell alcohol." "So the cells are empty." "Freya's always getting offers of marriage." "But I think she's only interested in you." "She thinks you're not interested in her... because you're too mean to take her out anywhere." "Was it the guy in the Chevrolet?" " Who?" " Who asked her to marry him." "No, that one drove a Ford." "He's a pilot." "She met him on the plane coming over." "He's got a huge house in the city, and needs a wife to go with it." "Was she talking about me?" " When?" " Didn't you say that just now?" "Yes, just the other day." "She said you were too mean to ask her out anywhere." "I don't understand women." "Neither do I." "I'm not too mean." "It's just that she's so unpredictable." "I am sworn to remain faithful to Christ." "Even if you won't accept my hospitality..." "I'd like to bid you farewell with a friendly kiss." "Must we be so formal?" "What, are you too timid to kiss a lascivious woman?" "You shall have a kiss, but no more than that." "Such is the fate." "Such is the fate of those who disobey the fairy queen." "How did you like the fairy play?" "Are fairies really nasty?" "They can be vengeful if they are crossed." "But otherwise they're a pleasant and cheerful bunch." "People say there are fairies in the big rock up the hill." "Sometimes they fall in love with humans." "That never turns out well." "They can be so cruel." "So incredibly cruel." "Isn't it time you went upstairs to bed?" "Upstairs with you this minute!" "Good night and sleep tight." "Jesus!" "Granny!" "Freya went into the mountainside!" "I think she's gone to dance with the elves!" "Was she wearing her Sunday shoes?" "No, her boots." "Well, she won't be doing much dancing in them." "Now it's my turn." "There's the idiot." "Grab the milk cans." ""I took two naughty puppies!"" "A nice delivery by the lady!" "Better than the one that never came from you." "Hey, you!" " Yes." " I've got something to say to you." "Come up here!" "He must have died up there." "Go up and see." "I'm not going to hang around here all day." "Meow!" "I'm writing a poem about a beautiful young woman... fending off two hefty lads." "But I'm stuck and can't finish the verse." "Maybe you could help me?" "Never in my life ere now" "Saw I such a sight" "As when the ragamuffin boys" "Were trounced and put to flight." "Not bad at all." "Listen, if I give you a crown... will you keep quiet about having helped me?" "Is that the best you can offer?" "You're a strange one." "Here, I'll give you... five crowns." "Understood?" "Yep." "We must find out what he says in the letter." "It could just be nonsense that would only upset your cousin." " You think so?" " Come in to my place." ""Dear Freya." "Here at last is the poetry book..." "I promised last summer."" "What sort of a love letter is that?" "It isn't a love letter at all." ""Best regards, from Theodor."" "Take the letter to Theodor, and the money to Disa." "And hurry, so she can get to the dairy." ""Get stuffed!"" "If we take this to him, he'll never speak to her again." "He won't even send a reply." "We must do something about this." ""I can't wait to get your next letter." "Freya."" "That puts pressure on him." "He has to write something back." "Are you perhaps Theodor's sister?" "It's their maid, you idiot." "Will you come inside, please?" "Mette, I'll speak with them." ""This flower is for the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." "From one who can't put his thoughts into rhyme."" "Well, things are getting a bit better." ""I cry out his name into the darkness... but the only answer I get is the groaning of the lava." "Where now are the buttercups?" "Where did the purple night go?"" "What is that "purple" stuff?" "Thanks." "Come in." "Wait here a moment." "Help yourself." "Well, here you go." "Take this to your cousin." "Run like the wind." "I'll give you five crowns if you bring an answer in the next half hour." "If you're going to reply, you must do it at once." "You're here at last." "Hurry up with the answer." "No answer." "Mom!" "Freya and I have something to tell you." "We've just got engaged." "Mom." "All things come to him who waits." "Could I stay the night here sometime?" "just one night?" "Is the doctor's widow at home?" "She'll be back any minute." "Please come in." "Help yourselves to coffee." " Coffee?" " Yes, please." "Biscuits?" "Help yourselves." "Here we use the porcelain service for guests... not the kitchen cups... as is done in some houses." "Is it time for bed already?" "I always have guests for afternoon coffee on Thursdays." "Could the young lady perhaps use the upstairs sitting room?" "I live here." "Besides the upstairs room isn't big enough." "I think it should be possible to solve this amicably." "What bothered me the most was how she seated us at the table." "My mother-in-law sat with her son at the high table... while I was put far away with less important people." "That's really awful." "Then after endless boring speeches, we moved into the lounge." "Women in one corner, men in another." "They served port and liqueurs." "I sat surrounded by old bags that didn't once speak to me." "What about the magistrate's wife?" "Didn't she treat you like a hostess should?" "Not at all." "Your mother-in-law didn't even talk to you out of decency?" "No." "Birna, the magistrate's daughter... was always looking my way, but never came over." "But she sat for ages on the arm of Teddy's chair and was all over him." "I'll be darned." "Eventually I got up and called him over." "I wanted to leave." "He just said the magistrate was a friend of his... and he couldn't leave just like that." "I asked if his friend meant more to him than his wife." "He couldn't answer that one." "By then I'd really had enough, so I left." "That's awful." "As I was going down the stairs the magistrate says to me:" ""You're not leaving are you?"" "I nodded, and he says:" "Then I won't be able to stare at you in secret... and imagine I'm caressing your body and your hair..." "And breathe the scent of a goddess." "No, you won't." "I have to go." "Did he really say that?" "The magistrate himself?" "I went home, and locked the bedroom door." "When Teddy came back, pretty drunk... after midnight with the old bag, and wanted to come in..." "I told him to go and sleep at the foot of his mother's bed." "The sitting room is in use, as you can see." "Then I'll serve my friend coffee upstairs." "I'll just need some china." "Oh no!" "My set of Royal Danish Porcelain, from Copenhagen!" "A family heirloom!" "But my dear, why did you insist on being in my way?" "Madam Freya!" "We have never thanked you properly for all your kindness to us." "Is this for me?" "You've always treated us like human beings." "You shouldn't have." "But thank you." "Please, come in." "Shall we take off our shoes?" "No, don't bother." "Doughnuts." "Wonderful." "So happens I've brought a few hungry friends back with me." "I'm afraid they can't come into the kitchen." "Since when do we receive guests in the kitchen?" "Put on some coffee and serve it with doughnuts in the main sitting room." "Come on, boys." "Doughnuts." "Yes, please." "I'd rather die than serve those drunks coffee." "Stop that racket, you idiots, or you'll catch it from me!" "Now then, gentlemen, let's not have fighting." "What a wonderful woman." "She's divine." "We've been cold, right to the roots of our hearts." "What we really need... is a heartwarming prescription, or something like that." "I might have just the right thing for you." "We were invited." "Come on, Gudjon." "Would you come down to the station and make a statement?" "I have nothing to talk to the police about." "I didn't call you here." "But I'm going to talk to the mayor... about these homeless and malnourished people... and how they are neglected by the town authorities... and the Women's Institute which purports to be a charity." "Come on." "Did you hear what she said?" "MAGISTRATE'S OFFICE" "It was a mistake to remove your guests without your consent." "We apologize." "It was wrong... to arrest men who had done nothing wrong." "I apologize for having called the police." "Those men were your guests." "I apologize." "Thanks." "Then there's the staircase." "I'll move out if I have to polish any more!" "And where are you thinking of moving to, little miss?" "I'll move over to Freya's." "Do as you please." "You can sleep where you like in these moods of yours." "You're a devil, Freya." "The weather's supposed to get even worse out at sea." "Does anyone know where the old man is now?" "He's just left from Germany." "It's probably better over there." "They could have left early, in which case he might be out in this storm." "Dodo!" "I'm never going back to him again!" "Are you pregnant, my child?" "I'm five months gone, but I'm not going back to that idiot again." "No way!" "He doesn't earn enough to keep us." "I'm hungry all the time." "He spends all the money on clutches... and crankshafts." "And yesterday I heard he's got another girl pregnant." "Where is she going to sleep?" "Have some flat cakes and dried fish." "What on earth made you come back?" "You came back, didn't you?" "Not pregnant, I didn't." "Well, who would have thought it?" "My adoptive sister's daughter the owner of a shop." "Come inside." "Look at this." "I want you to run the place." "Be the manager." "You didn't have to buy me a shop." "You can always go back to the fish factory." "Disa will serve with you in the shop." "You'll have to dress neatly... and be polite to the customers." "Don't you tell me what to do." "You can keep this hole of a shop for yourself." "We'll both be really attractive." "We'll really spruce ourselves up, won't we, Dodo?" "You'll have to wash off the smell of fish, won't you?" "THE BOUDOIR" "I'll serve this customer." "You can take a coffee break." "A nice shop you have here." "Thank you, Magnus." "I need a zipper." " How long?" " I don't know." " What's it for?" " My pants." "You need 12 inches." "That's what I thought." "I can't for the life of me remember the midwife's name." "The damned woman's called Halla!" "For God's sake phone her quickly." "I haven't got my glasses." "Ninna, help me look for my glasses!" "What's her husband's name?" "Jon Gudmundsson." "Sunnyside Street, yes." "Dodo is having her baby." "Yes." "Bye-bye." "How did you know?" "He's got a willy!" "Has he got ten toes and ten fingers?" "Yes, he's gorgeous." "It so happens I'm also expecting." "The house will soon be full of babies." "Turn sideways a bit." "Unbutton your coat!" "Smile!" "Agga." "Agga, come in here a moment." "Why don't you turn the light on?" "I like sitting in the dark." "Listen." "Can you help me braid my hair while it's still damp?" "I don't know how to braid." "I'll pay you for it." "Mette says she can't sleep because of you." "Mette is a nervous wreck." "Divide my hair into eight parts... and braid each one separately." "Mette can't stand the darkness here in Iceland." "Not surprising, really." "Darkness kills people." "It's not only darkness that kills them." "It's so damned cold here." "And push, and then feet together." "And push." "But keep your feet together in between." "You want a fight?" "Well, we'd better be going." "Thanks, and good night." "Who invited them here?" "Freya, it's the Skating Club's anniversary." "Mother asked them in for coffee... because she's making a donation to the club." "Your mother is not to invite anyone here... without consulting the mistress of the house." "And that's me." "There." "Now you've heard what she's really like." "Do you hear the insolence in the woman?" "She's trying to turn me out of my own house." "Stop this now!" "What is all the fuss about?" "What's the matter with you, Freya?" "Can't my mother invite her friends in?" "Your mother invited your ex-fiancée here to humiliate me." "Don't you think I know the old bat?" "Birna and I have been friends since we were children." "Try to understand that." "We can't avoid meeting socially now and then." "And her father is my best friend and advisor." "To hell with your friends." "Either the old bag leaves this house or I do!" "Do you see what I see?" "Yes." " I'm amazed." " So am I." "Look over there." "Jesus!" "What's happened?" "Did someone beat you up?" "Have you stolen something?" "Or have you been kissing a boy?" "I saw a man and a woman doing it." "Know what I mean?" "Really?" "I don't believe you!" "I went to Birna's to ask to have the skating rink swept." "There was a light on in the bedroom." "I saw her go in with the man." "They took each other's clothes off, I swear to God." "Then the man got on top of her on the bed." "It was disgusting." "I think I'm going to die." "Who was the man?" "Was it the headmaster?" "You know." "You know who the man was." "I saw them together on the skating rink." "Of course they've been rehearsing." "Were they in bed together?" "Listen, Freya, don't be angry at us." "We don't want to start any trouble for you." "Were they in bed together?" "Come along, my dears, come down into the kitchen." "What have you done?" "I had a horrible dream." "There were devils screaming all around me." "It's your turn, Dodo." "Could you let me through so I can talk to my wife?" "Are you sure she's still your wife?" "What do you mean?" "I mean it's not certain that a lady can be called the wife of a man... who sleeps with other women." "Doesn't that dissolve the marriage automatically?" "Or does the law let married men hop from bed to bed... when they have trouble mounting their pregnant wives?" "There's fresh coffee." "No, thank you." "Let's finish our game." "She's moved in with us again." "Always trouble with women." "Always something." "Shouldn't they just stay with their husbands?" "Not if they are seeing other women." "That's what Granny says, anyway." "Answer the door, Agga." "I want to talk to Freya." "Out of my way, you." "Freya!" "What the devil is going on here?" "I'm looking for my wife." "Have you been drinking?" "I want my wife, Luther." "Where the hell is she?" "What do you want, man?" "She went up to bed ages ago, and besides, you're drunk." "So, she's upstairs?" "Steady on, there." "You can't go up in your dirty shoes." "I've heard you shipowners are going to import workers... from overseas to man your trawlers?" "I'm not a shipowner." "I'm an engineer." "I believe you own a couple of ships, though." "Careful now, you could fall down these stairs and break your neck!" "Freya!" "Get yourself ready and come home with me!" " It's Christmas." " Is your mother at home?" "Of course?" "Where else would she be?" "Either she goes or I do!" "Freya, my mother will live with us... as long as she wants and as long as she lives." "I am a mistress in my own home." "I decide who comes and goes." "If you can't accept that... then just get back to that little whore of yours!" "Who could that be at this hour?" "Don't go!" "It's only the wind." "Freya, it could be someone looking for you." "You can't make him wait outside in this cold." "She can." "Come back again in the morning." "That would be too late." "Was I supposed to freeze to death on the doorstep?" "Would you like some fresh coffee?" "No, thanks." "What do you want, Theodor?" "You." "What sort of way of behaving is this?" "Barging in on people in the middle of the night." "Can't you just go to one of your floozies... and leave Freya alone in her condition?" "Come back tomorrow instead." "Get out of my way, you bitches." "Man and wife need to talk things out together." "Get out of the way yourself, you damn two-timer!" "How did he fall?" "He barged in here, roaring drunk." "He knew Freya was here, and came rushing up the stairs." "He must have missed his footing and fallen." " Where's your mother?" " My mother?" "She wasn't here." "Nor was my dad." "We were playing cards." "I told you!" "Isn't it best just to get him out of here since he's dead anyway?" "Who says he's dead?" "What?" "He isn't dead?" "What's going on here?" "Will you be so good as to close that damned door?" "What the devil?" "Granny, bring the bucket!" "The police were here, looking at the stairs and asking us questions." "Why?" "Because Theodor's gone." "Where's he gone?" "To Heaven." "I've come to report a murder." "Have you, now?" "I saw Freya kill Theodor." "He didn't fall down the stairs at all." "They just put him at the bottom of the stairs." "Stop this now, Agga!" "What have you been dreaming up?" "She killed him in cold blood!" "I told you she was evil, you wouldn't believe me." "What makes you say these stupid things?" "This is the second time you've accused your cousin of murder." "Where were you, anyway, when the murder was committed?" "Why didn't you come running across then?" "Answer me now!" "Little idiot of a girl." "My stockings are too short, the knees of my pants are bulging... and my coat is out of fashion." "I've got nothing to wear." "I'm like an orphan no one cares for." "Stop this whining and put that petticoat on." "Petticoats are for little girls!" "There's some temperament in the family, but this!" "What's got into the child?" "She's grown, that's all." "She's as tall as you, Dodo." " I'm at a loss for words." " Dodo?" "Can you at least lend her something to wear to school?" "You are the policeman in this town, aren't you?" "That's what people say, yes." "Then attend to your duties and come with me." "I have something to show you." "Can you tell me how far we're going?" "Will I need my coat?" "just over the road, to my house." "Is that so?" "On New Year's Eve the women were all sitting here, playing cards." "Then Theodor came in, blind drunk... and wanted his wife to go home with him." "She didn't want to go." "He tried to come in and take her... but the other women attacked him." "Suddenly Freya got up with a horrible expression on her face... picked up this flagpole... and hit him over the head." "He fell on the floor." "Right here." "His head bled and bled." "I put a towel under his head." "Why did you do that?" "To stop the blood from going all over the carpet." "What did you do after that?" "After that?" "Sorry, I'm washing socks." "Where were you when all this happened?" "Over there, behind the couch." "I'll phone for the doctor." "Come back here!" "What are you going to tell the doctor?" "That Theodor has been killed?" "That you jumped on him like wild animals... and his wife hit him over the head?" "Do you want to have me sent to prison?" "Is that what you want?" "What'll happen to my baby then?" "Is it to have no father as well as no mother?" "And what about your children... with nothing but working-class slavery to look forward to?" "And Ninna?" "Do you want her to be sent to a home for the retarded?" "I see no signs of any struggle here." "Of course not." "They changed the carpet." "That is Theodor's blood." "Sorry to have to say this, Miss Agga, but I think you'd better stop." "I've had quite enough of these stories of yours." "Stop bothering me with this nonsense." " Don't go!" " Let go of my pants!" "It's true!" "She killed him!" "She killed him!" "Come back!" "You haven't heard the whole story!" "You stupid pigheaded idiot!" "Ninna first." "Can you manage, Ninna?" "On the count of three." "One... two... and three." "He fell just as we had planned." "Shouldn't we say the Lord's Prayer over him?" "Do you think we're burying a bird in the garden?" "There's only one thing to be done." "We'll change the carpet." "The carpet downstairs is the same type." "I seem to have completely run out of coffee substitute." "What are the women cooking up?" "Are they taking over the town, or what?" "They see a crime being committed and none of them say a word." "Except for two who can't lie:" "the child and the retarded one." "Ninna isn't retarded." "No." "And you are hardly a child any more." "You've got such beautiful long hair now." "You're turning into a woman." "We must be careful." "Keep our eyes and ears open." "I'll speak to the women." "Carefully, so they won't suspect anything." "One at a time." "Including Granny?" "Yes." "And Disa and Dodo?" "Will they all go to jail?" "We'll work together on this." "Do you realize you're the best detective in town?" "It's really valuable to have you working with me." "Not only am I the best detective in town." "I'm the best liar in town too." "Everything I told you was just made-up nonsense." "Agga!" "Pure nonsense, as you put it yourself."