“Well, it’s easy for you to crow,” said Uli, “you’ve got the finest farm for miles around, your stables are full of good stock, you granaries full; you have a good wife—­one of the best, and fine children; you can enjoy yourself, for you have things to enjoy; if I had ’em, I’d never think of sprees and wild living.  But what have I got?  I’m a poor lad, haven’t a soul in the world that wishes me well; my father’s dead, my mother too, and my sisters are all looking out for themselves.  Misfortune’s my lot in this world; if I get sick, nobody wants me, and if I die they’ll bury me like a dog, and not a soul will cry over me.  Oh, why don’t they kill the like of me when we come into the world!” And with that, big strong Uli began to cry bitterly.

“Now, now, Uli,” said the master, “you’re not so badly off, if you’d only think so.  Give up your wild life and you can be a man yet.  Many a man has started with as little as you, and got house and farm and full stables.”

Yes, said Uli, such things didn’t happen any more, and then a man had to have more luck for that than he had.

“That’s stupid talk,” said the master; “how can a man talk of luck when he throws away and squanders all he gets his hands on?  I never saw a coin yet that wasn’t willing to leave the hand that spent it.  But your mistake is just this—­that you don’t believe you could become a man.  You think you’re poor and will stay poor and are worth nothing, and so you stay poor.  If you thought something different, things would go better.  For everything still depends on what a man believes.”

“But for goodness gracious sake, master,” said Uli, “how should I get rich?  Think how little my pay is, and how many clothes I need; and I have debts to boot.  What’s the use of saving?  And can’t I have any fun?”

“But for goodness gracious sake,” echoed the master, “what are you coming to if you’ve got debts now, while you’re strong and well and nobody to care for?  You’ll be a vagabond, and then nobody will want you any more; you’ll earn less and less and need more and more.  No, Uli, think it over a little; this can’t go on.  There’s still time, and I tell you honestly it would be a pity.”

“It’s no use; what’s the good of drudging and giving up all my fun?  I shan’t get anywhere; a poor lad like me can never be anything else,” wailed Uli.

“See what the cow’s doing,” said the master.  And when Uli came back with the reply that the calf was not coming just yet, the master said, “I shall remember all my life how our pastor explained serving in our religious teaching, and how he made it so clear that you had to believe him; and many a man has grown happy by doing so.  He said that all men got from God two great funds to put out at interest—­namely, powers and time.  By good use of these we must win temporal and eternal life.  Now, many a man has nothing to exercise his powers on, so as to use his time serviceably and profitably; so he lends his powers and his time to