praying, they were ready to cut and run the instant he made a
move. Presently a pair of them noticed that Felt's face was
beginning to twitch. 'Now he'll go for us,' they thought, getting
up to flee. But the old man blinked his one good eye, and a tear
rolled down his cheek. 'Hallelujah!' the youngsters shouted, and
now, as I've already told you, it's all up with Felt. Now he does
nothing but run about to meetings, and fasts and prays, and fancies
he hears the voice of God."

"I don't see anything hurtful in all that," said Ingmar. "Felt was
killing himself with drink when the Hellgumists took him into
camp."

"Well, you've got so many friends to lose that a little thing like
this wouldn't matter to you. No doubt you would have liked it if
the children had succeeded in converting the schoolmaster."

"I can't imagine those poor little kids trying to tackle Storm!"
Ingmar was dumfounded. What Strong Ingmar had said about the parish
being turned upside down must be true after all, he thought.

"But they did, though," Strong Ingmar replied. "One evening, as
Storm was sitting in the classroom writing, a score of them came
in and began preaching to him."

"And what did Storm do?" asked Ingmar, unable to keep from laughing.

"He was so astounded at first that he couldn't say or do a thing.
But, as luck would have it, Hellgum had arrived a few moments
before and was in the kitchen talking with Gertrude."

"Was Hellgum with Gertrude?"

"Yes; Hellgum and Gertrude have been friends ever since the day
that he acted upon her advice in the little matter with Gunhild.
When Gertrude heard the racket in the schoolroom, she said: 'You're
just in time to see something new, Hellgum. It would seem that
henceforth the children are to instruct the schoolmaster.' Then
Hellgum laughed, for he comprehended that this sort of thing was
ludicrous. He promptly drove the children out, and abolished the
nuisance."

Ingmar noticed that the old man was eying him in a peculiar way;
it was as if a hunter were looking at a wounded bear and wondering
whether he should give it another shot.

"I don't know what you expect of me," said Ingmar.

"What could I expect of you, who are only a boy! Why, you haven't a
penny to your name. All you've got in the world are your two empty
hands."

"I verily believe you want me to throttle Hellgum!"

"They said down at the village that this would soon blow over if
you could only induce Hellgum to leave th