Ay, Brede was a wastrel and a boaster, but for all that Isak could bear him no grudge; he himself was too relieved at finding his neighbour in the house that evening instead of a stranger.  Isak had the peasant’s coolness of mind, his few feelings, stability, stubbornness; he chatted with Brede and nodded at his shallowness.  “Another cup for Brede,” said he.  And Inger poured it out.

Inger talked of the engineer; a kindly man he was beyond measure; had looked at the boys’ drawings and writings, and even said something about taking Eleseus to work under him.

“To work with him?” said Isak.

“Ay, to the town.  To do writing and things, be a clerk in the office—­all for he was so pleased with the boy’s writing and drawing.”

“Ho!” said Isak.

“Well, and what do you say?  He was going to have him confirmed too.  That was a great thing, to my mind.”

“Ay, a great thing indeed,” said Brede.  “And when the engineer says he’ll do a thing, he’ll do it.  I know him, and you can take my word for that.”

“We’ve no Eleseus to spare on this farm as I know of,” said Isak.

There was something like a painful silence after that.  Isak was not an easy man to talk to.

“But when the boy himself wants to get on,” said Inger at last, “and has it in him, too.”  Silence again.

Then said Brede with a laugh:  “I wish he’d ask for one of mine, anyway.  I’ve enough of them and to spare.  But Barbro’s the eldest, and she’s a girl.”

“And a good girl enough,” said Inger, for politeness’ sake.

“Ay, I’ll not say no,” said Brede.  “Barbro’s well enough, and clever at this and that—­she’s going to help at the Lensmand’s now.”

“Going to the Lensmand’s?”

“Well, I had to let her go—­his wife was so set on it, I couldn’t say no.”

It was well on towards morning now, and Brede rose to go.

“I’ve a bundle and a cap I left in your barn,” he said.  “That is if the men haven’t run off with it,” he added jestingly.

Chapter XIV

And time went on.

Yes, Eleseus was sent to town after all; Inger managed that.  He was there for a year, then he was confirmed, and after that had a regular place in the engineer’s office, and grew more and more clever at writing and things.  To see the letters he sent home—­sometimes with red and black ink, like pictures almost.  And the talk of them, the words he used.  Now and again he asked for money, something towards his expenses.  A watch and chain, for instance, he must have, so as not to oversleep himself in the morning and be late at the office; money for a pipe and tobacco also, such as the other young clerks in the town always had.  And for something he called pocket-money, and something he called evening classes, where he learned drawing and gymnastics and other matters proper to his rank and position.  Altogether, it was no light matter to keep Eleseus going in a berth in town.