hut, lowing and bleating joyfully. Now begins the milking; the
goatherd maiden sings--

When I have milked in these pails of mine,
I lay me down, and sleep divine,
Till day upon the cliffs doth shine.

After the song, the dancing began again with new spirit. An iron hook
was driven into the beam in the middle of the roof, and the dancer who,
during the whirl of the Halling-polska, succeeded in striking it with
his heel, so that it was bent, obtained the prize for dancing this
evening. Observing the break-neck efforts of the competitors, Susanna
seated herself upon a bench. Several large leafy branches which were
reared between the benches and window, prevented her from seeing two
persons who stood in quiet conversation, but she remained sitting, as if
enchanted, as she heard the voice of Alette, saying:

"Susanna is to be sure an excellent and good girl, and I really like
her; but yet, Harald, it would distress me if you seriously were
attached to her."

"And why?" asked Harald.

"Because I think that she would not be suitable for your wife. She has
an unreasonable and violent temper, and--"

"But that may be changed, Alette. She has already changed very much. Of
her violent temper I have no fear--that I should soon remove."

"Greater wizards than you, my brother, have erred in such a belief. At
the same time she is much too uneducated, too ignorant to be a suitable
companion for you through life. And neither would she be suitable for
the social circles into which you must sometime come. Best Harald! let
me beseech you, do not be over-hasty. You have so long thought of taking
a journey into foreign countries to improve your knowledge of
agriculture. Carry out this plan now; travel, and look about you in the
world before you fetter yourself for life."

"I fancy you are right, Alette; and I shall follow your advice, but----"

"Besides," said Alette, interrupting him in her zeal, "it is time enough
for you to think of marrying. You are still young; have time to look
about you, and choose. You can easily, if you will, in every point of
view, form a good connexion. Susanna is poor, and you yourself have not
wealth enough entirely to disregard----"

Susanna would hear no more; and, in truth, she had heard enough. Wounded
pride and sickness of heart drove the blood to her head and chest, till
she felt ready to be choked. She rose hastily, and after she had begged
an acquaintance to tell Alette and Harald that