ish he'd ask for one of mine,
anyway. I've enough of them and to spare. But Barbro's the eldest, and
she's a girl."

"And a good girl enough," said Inger, for politeness' sake.

"Ay, I'll not say no," said Brede. "Barbro's well enough, and clever
at this and that--she's going to help at the Lensmand's now."

"Going to the Lensmand's?"

"Well, I had to let her go--his wife was so set on it, I couldn't say
no."

It was well on towards morning now, and Brede rose to go.

"I've a bundle and a cap I left in your barn," he said. "That is if
the men haven't run off with it," he added jestingly.

Chapter XIV

And time went on.

Yes, Eleseus was sent to town after all; Inger managed that. He was
there for a year, then he was confirmed, and after that had a regular
place in the engineer's office, and grew more and more clever at
writing and things. To see the letters he sent home--sometimes with
red and black ink, like pictures almost. And the talk of them, the
words he used. Now and again he asked for money, something towards his
expenses. A watch and chain, for instance, he must have, so as not to
oversleep himself in the morning and be late at the office; money for
a pipe and tobacco also, such as the other young clerks in the town
always had. And for something he called pocket-money, and something he
called evening classes, where he learned drawing and gymnastics and
other matters proper to his rank and position. Altogether, it was no
light matter to keep Eleseus going in a berth in town.

"Pocket-money?" said Isak. "Is that money to keep in your pocket,
maybe?"

"That must be it, no doubt," said Inger. "So as not to be altogether
without. And it's not much; only a _Daler_ now and then."

"Ay, that's just it," said Isak harshly. "A _Daler_ now and a _Daler_
then...." But his harshness was all because he missed Eleseus himself,
and wanted him home. "It makes too many _Dalers_ in the long run,"
said he. "I can't keep, on like this; you must write and tell him he
can have no more."

"Ho, very well then!" said Inger in an offended tone.

"There's Sivert--what does he get by way of pocket-money?"

Inger answered: "You've never been in a town, and so you don't know
these things. Sivert's no need of pocket-money. And talking of money,
Sivert ought to be none so badly off when his Uncle Sivert dies."

"You don't know."

"Ay, but I do know."

And this was right enough in a way; Uncle Sivert had said som