ut
now it was quite changed. As if riches were worth sacrificing
conscience and the soul's freedom for their sake! As if they were
worth as much as a white mouse, if the heart could not be glad at
the same time! He clapped his hands and cried out in joy--that he
was free, free, free! There was not even a longing to possess the
fifty crowns in his heart. How good it was to be happy!

When he had gone to bed, he thought that he would show Halfvorson
the fifty crowns early the next morning. Then he became uneasy that
the tradesman might come into the shop before him the next morning,
search for the note and find it. He might easily think that Petter
Nord had hidden it to keep it. The thought gave him no peace. He
tried to shake it off, but he could not succeed. He could not
sleep. So he rose, crept into the shop and felt about till he found
the fifty crowns. Then he fell asleep with the note under his pillow.

An hour later he awoke. A light shone sharply in his eyes; a hand
was fumbling under his pillow and a rumbling voice was scolding and
swearing.

Before the boy was really awake, Halfvorson had the note in his
hand and showed it to the two women, who stood in the doorway to
his room. "You see that I was right," said Halfvorson. "You see
that it was well worth while for me to drag you up to bear witness
against him! You see that he is a thief!"

"No, no, no," screamed poor Petter Nord. "I did not wish to steal.
I only hid the note."

Halfvorson heard nothing. Both the women stood with their backs
turned to the room, as if determined to neither hear nor see.

Petter Nord sat up in bed. He looked all of a sudden pitifully weak
and small. His tears were streaming. He wailed aloud.

"Uncle," said Edith, "he is weeping."

"Let him weep," said Halfvorson, "let him weep!" And he walked
forward and looked at the boy. "You can weep all you like," he
said, "but that does not take me in."

"Oh, oh," cried Petter Nord, "I am no thief. I hid the note as a
joke--to make you angry. I wanted to pay you back for the mice.
I am not a thief. Will no one listen to me. I am not a thief."

"Uncle," said Edith, "if you have tortured him enough now, perhaps
we may go back to bed?"

"I know, of course, that it sounds terrible," said Halfvorson, "but
it cannot be helped." He was gay, in very high spirits. "I have had
my eye on you for a long time," he said to the boy. "You have
always something you are tucking away when I come in