lmost too much
spirit, as the principal said, and when he was roused he did not mind
tackling the biggest and strongest boys in the school. But he got better
as time went on, and when he came home from abroad to take his place in
the business, he was, and not only in his mother's opinion, one of the
best-looking and most agreeable young men in the town.

Jacob Worse took his father's old office in the front of the house,
which looked on to the market and the quay. He carried on a business
partly on commission and partly on his own account. He did a good deal
of trade, particularly in corn, which had hitherto been almost entirely
in the hands of Garman and Worse. The old firm had established itself so
securely on every side, that he seemed to meet them whichever way he
turned.

Morten wished that Garman and Worse should at once use their strength,
and crush their tiny rival before he had had time to become dangerous,
but Consul Garman would not hear of it. He seemed to have an
extraordinary liking for Worse, and even went out of his way to help
him, and latterly "the rival" had become a constant Sunday guest at
Sandsgaard.

At first Jacob Worse did not like leaving his mother on Sunday, but Mrs.
Worse said, "Go along, you great stupid! do you suppose that Samuelsen
and I care to have you sitting and laughing at us when we are playing
draughts; and besides," said she, giving him a sly poke with her finger,
"don't you know there is somebody out there that expects you?"

"Ah, mother, do stop those insinuations of yours; you know perfectly
well nothing will ever come of it."

"Now, Jacob," said Mrs. Worse, with her arms akimbo, "you think yourself
very clever, but I tell you you are as stupid as an owl, a barn-door
owl, when it is anything to do with women. You ought to see it must all
come right some day. I dare say Miss Rachel is a little bit singular,
but she is not quite cracked. You see, it will all get straight in the
end; it will still all come right some day."

This was the refrain of all Mrs. Worse's observations on this head, and
her son saw plainly it was of no use to contradict her. It was of no use
either to advise her to give up her shop, or, at any rate, to give up
the management to somebody else.

"Why, I should die of dropsy," said she, "and Samuelsen would dry up to
nothing in about a fortnight, if we had not got the shop to attend to."

"Yes," suggested Jacob, "but still you need not work any long