Many days of thunder storms followed, one after another and if the sun came out between, it burned unbearably, and new storms followed so unceasingly and violent, that the herdsman, on the other mountain often said that he had not known such a summer for years, and if it didn’t change he wouldn’t make half so much butter as in former summers, because the cows gave no milk, as they didn’t like the fodder.

During this time the man-servant chose the most favorable time to come over to the small pasture, milked the cows as quickly as possible and did not look after the boy at all; only now and then, when he thought Toni had no more milk, he would bring the jug out quickly, fill it and put it back again.  Then he often saw Toni sitting on his bed of hay, and would call out in passing: 

“You are lazy!”

But then he ran right away in order to get back without being wet, and did not trouble himself further about the boy.

So June had passed, and already a good part of July.  The thunder storms had become less frequent, but thick fog often so enveloped the mountain that one could hardly see two steps away, and only here and there a black head appeared, looking gloomily through the mist.  The cattle often wandered so far that the man found some of them between the two mountains and brought them up again.  This would not do.  He called up to the boy, but received no answer.  He ran to the hut and went in.  Toni crouched in the corner was sitting on his bed and staring straight before him.

“Why don’t you look after the cows?” asked the man.

He received no answer.

“Can’t you speak?  What is the matter with you?”

No answer.

Then the man looked at the bread and cheese, to see if Toni had eaten everything and was suffering from hunger.  But more than half the bread was there and the larger part of the cheese.  Toni had taken almost nothing but milk.

“What is the matter with you, then?  Are you sick?” asked the man again.

Toni gave no answer.  He seemed not to hear anything and stared so motionless before him that the man was quite alarmed.  He ran out of the hut.  He told the herdsman how it was with the boy and they decided that when one of the herdsman’s boys went down with the butter, he must tell the Matten farmer about it.

Another week passed.  Then the news was brought to the farmer.  He thought the boy would be happy again, that the heavy thunderstorms had only frightened him a little.  But he sent word for the herdsman to go over; he had boys of his own and would understand better about this than the hired man.  If anything was wrong with Toni he must be brought down.

Some days later the herdsman really went over with one of his boys and found Toni still crouched in the corner just as the man had seen him.  Toni made no sound to anything the herdsman said to him, did not move and kept staring always before him.