ing in,
and ask Dietrich to lend me a little to try with, Jost acts as if he were
the lord and master of the whole concern, and 'donkey' is the mildest name
he calls me. I am just waiting though, till I can trip him up, and I'll
do it with a vengeance too, so that he won't forget it all his life long."

"Now that is a good idea," said Judith. "You'd better tell him then, that
you do it to pay your debts, and that it would be well for him to follow
your example. Now you have told me enough. Bring me your shirt on
Saturday, and I'll wash it for you."

Judith lifted her water-jug and was turning away, but Blasi detained her.

"Just wait one moment, I want to ask you a question. Do you think she will
have him?"

The question seemed to interest Judith, for she stood stock still.

"Who? whom? what do you mean?"

"I mean Veronica and Jost. Do you think she will take him?" As Blasi
spoke he came slowly nearer to Judith. "He has been saying some things
lately, that made me think so."

"If you know anything more stupid than that, I should like to hear it,"
cried Judith very angry indeed; but she did not move away, for she wanted
to hear all that Blasi had to say.

"I know what you mean," he went on, "but I am not so very stupid as you
think. It certainly means something, when she is so changed. Jost says
that she knows all that Dietrich has been about, and she is hot with anger
against him because he has not told her about it himself. Jost says that
if he only mentions Dietrich's name before her she looks like a wild-cat
in a moment, and he says too that he has noticed for some time, that she
has no objection to letting Dietrich see that she can get along very well
without his help, and you know that she is capable of anything when she's
angry."

"Well, this was the one drop wanting!" said Judith, and shouldering her
jug she went off, snorting with anger, in such a rage that Blasi stood
looking after her in stupid amazement, and muttered,

"I wonder if she wants to get him, too!"

Judith walked along, talking aloud to herself,

"Yes, she is! she is! she is capable of anything when she is angry!"

Now Judith had looked upon her neighbor's boy from his childhood up, as if
he belonged to her. He was her prime, favorite and she meant to do well by
him. She liked Veronica because she was such a steady girl at her needle,
and because she would have nothing to say to any one but Dietrich. This
very reserve however, was ra