Coldevin?" Milde laughed contemptuously and turned to Irgens, who had
kept aloof from the conversation. "It looks bad for us, Irgens; the
phenomenon does not approve of us."
Mrs. Hanka now spoke; she wanted to smooth matters over. It could only be
a misunderstanding; Mr. Coldevin would surely explain himself
satisfactorily. Couldn't they listen to a man without losing their temper?
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Milde--"
"You are not much impressed with us who are supposed to have a little
talent, then?" asked Paulsberg, still indulgent.
"Impressed? I must admit that in my humble opinion things are a little on
the down grade with us," answered Coldevin. "I confess that that is my
opinion. And it is especially the country's youth I am thinking of. We
have begun a slow retrogression; in plain words, we are lowering our
standards, we are tapering down to a general zero. The young do not demand
much from themselves or from others any more; they accept the diminutive
and call it great; there is not much, not very much, needed to create a
stir nowadays. That is what I meant when I referred to the general
conditions."
"But, good Lord! what do you think of our younger writers, then?" cried
Journalist Gregersen, flushed and angry.
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