“I thought over this thing a couple of days and some of the nights too, and then the third day I drifted over to Morten’s.  Ane Kirstine stood alone outside the gate with her back turned, for she was busy whitewashing a wall, so I came upon her before she knew it.  ’Mercy on us! is that you?’ she cried, ’where have you been all these many days?’—­’I have been at home, and in the field, and on the heath, as it happened, and now I come to take a look at you.’—­’I am not worth looking at,’ said she, and thrust her clay-covered hands down into the pail to rinse off the clay.  ‘I don’t care,’ says I, ’whether you are yellow or gray, for you are the best friend I’ve got in this world; but I suppose I shall never be worthy of taking you in my arms in all honor and virtue.’—­’It would be bad if that couldn’t be,’ said she, ’but it may happen we have got to wait awhile.’—­’I can’t wait over-long,’ said I, ’for my mother will have no roof over her head, and either I shall have to take the farm or else a sister; that is how it stands, and it cannot be otherwise.’—­Then she began to sniffle, and dried her eyes and sighed, but said nothing.  I felt sorry for her, but what was there for one to do?

“Well, some one came who could tell us what to do, and it was none other than that same Poorman.  Along he tramps with one of his women, and had his glass case on his back and wanted to get into the farm.”  Then he turned toward us and said:—­’Well, well! what are you two doing there?  Come along in with me, little girl, and I’ll see if I can’t manage it for you; but you stay out here, my little man! then we’ll see what may come of it.’—­They went, and I sat down on a stone that was lying there and folded my hands.  I was not over-happy.  I don’t know how long I sat there, for I had fallen asleep; but then I was waked by some one kissing me, and it was no other than Ane Kirstine.  ’Are you sitting there sleeping?’ said she; ’come along in now, it is as it ought to be.  The knacker has spoken a good word for us to mother, and when nothing could change her he said, “There is a black cock sitting on the perch:  maybe a red one will crow over you if you don’t do as I say.”  At this she got a little bit scared, and said, “Then let it be! but this I tell you, Ane Kirstine, I’ll keep the black-headed cow for milking, and I’ll have all the hay that is my share.”—­“That is no more than reasonable,” said I, “and now we have no more to quarrel about, I suppose.”  Now you can let them publish the banns when you please.’  ‘And now, Ane Kirstine,’ said I, ’this tramp here, he must have a reward, and I’ll give it with a good will; and if we can get hold of him when we have our feast, he shall have a pot of soup and a hen to himself and those women and children.’—­’That is right enough,’ said she; ’and I will give them a rag or so, or a few more of my half-worn clothes.’

“Well, then my mother-in-law made a splendid feast, and there was plenty of everything.  The Poorman was there, too, with all his following; but they had theirs by themselves, as you might know, seeing that they were of the knacker kind.  Him I gave a coat, and Ane Kirstine gave the women each a cap and a kerchief and a piece of homespun for a petticoat for each of the young ones, and they were mighty well pleased.