y
please; they are not likely to give me any share of their good luck,
and I'm sure I don't want to have anything to do with their
misfortunes. Men impose on you famously by their pretensions to
goodness; they have only to wind you up, and then you play a tune to
each, just like your musical clocks."

Lenz laughed, for Pilgrim had once called him an eight day clock,
because he was always so carefully dressed on Sundays.

He had no rest during the whole week, therefore the Sundays were even
more precious to him than ever, and when the sun shone bright, he often
exclaimed: "Thousands of men, God be praised, are enjoying this fine
Sunday."

"You speak as if you were some guardian angel, and must think of all
the world," said Annele, pettishly.

Lenz soon learned never to utter such thoughts aloud, and became quite
perplexed as to what he should, and should not think. Once he proposed
to go with Annele on a Sunday to a meeting of the Choral Society in a
neighbouring village, or to take no one with them but Faller and his
wife down the valley; but she said, angrily:--"You can go where you
please, it does not signify to a man in what company he finds himself,
but I am not going with you, I consider myself too good for such
people. Faller and his wife are not the kind of society that suits
me--but you can go yourself, I shall not try to prevent you."

Of course Lenz stayed away also, and was more morose than he ought to
have been at home, or in the Lion.

Lenz never in his life had a card in his hand, or played a game at
bowls; other men drive away their ill humour by these resources, and
pass away their time. "I wish I took any pleasure in cards and bowls,"
said he; but he was not prepared for Annele's peevish answer:--

"A man has a good right to play at either, if he only returns with
fresh vigour to his work; at all events that is better than to play
with his work."

The pendulums were getting further apart than ever. Lenz sold the
greater part of his store of clocks at good prices. The only work that
made no great progress, was the one he had undertaken at the request of
his father-in-law, and when Lenz could not resist sometimes complaining
to his wife, that he failed in this or that, she tried to persuade him
that he did not think enough of making money; people like to have their
orders quickly attended to, so you ought to lose no time in getting the
work out of hand, but you are so over particular. "You are a