d roses. Also, one window was not
enough--fancy a room with only one window!

And, "Oh, by the way," said Inger, "I want an iron, you know. There
isn't one in the place. I could use a flat iron for pressing when I'm
sewing dresses and things, but you can't do proper work without an
iron of some sort."

Isak promised to get the blacksmith down at the village to make a
first-rate pressing-iron. Oh, Isak was ready to do anything, do all
that she asked in every way; for he could see well enough that Inger
had learned a heap of things now, and matchless clever she was grown.
She spoke, too, in a different way, a little finer, using elegant
words. She never shouted out to him now as she used to: "Come and get
your food!" but would say instead: "Dinner's ready, if you please."
Everything was different now. In the old days he would answer simply
"Ay," or say nothing at all, and go on working for a bit before he
came. Now, he said "Thanks," and went in at once. Love makes the wise
a fool: now and then Isak would say "Thanks, thanks." Ay, all was
different now--maybe a trifle too fine in some ways. When Isak spoke
of dung, and was rough in his speech, as peasants are, Inger would
call it manure, "for the sake of the children, you know."

She was careful with the children, and taught them everything,
educated them. Let tiny Leopoldine go on quickly with her crochet
work, and the boys with writing and schooling; they would not be
altogether behindhand when the time came for them to go to school in
the village. Eleseus in particular was grown a clever one, but little
Sivert was nothing much, if the truth must be told--a madcap,
a jackanapes. He even ventured to screw a little at Mother's
sewing-machine, and had already hacked off splinters from table and
chairs with his new pocket-knife. Inger had threatened to take it away
altogether.

The children, of course, had all the animals about the place, and
Eleseus had still his coloured pencil besides. He used it very
carefully, and rarely lent it to his brother, but for all that the
walls were covered with blue and red drawings as time went on, and the
pencil got smaller and smaller. At last Eleseus was simply forced to
put Sivert on rations with it, lending him the pencil on Sunday only,
for one drawing. Sivert was not pleased with the arrangement, but
Eleseus was a fellow who would stand no nonsense. Not so much as being
the stronger, but he had longer arms, and could manage bett