Oh, yes,' said the clerk, 'but I shall want another hundred dollars for
books. Peter can't learn well out of the ones that he has got.'

'Well, well,' said the man, 'what must be spent shall be spent.'

So he gave the clerk the third hundred dollars for books, and a cask of
good old ale for Peter. The clerk drank the ale himself, and gave the
calf milk, which he thought would be better for it.

Some weeks passed, during which the peasant did not come round to ask
after the calf, being frightened lest it should cost him another hundred
dollars, for he had begun to squirm a bit at having to part with so much
money. Meanwhile the clerk decided that the calf was as fat as it could
be, so he killed it. After he had got all the beef out of the way he
went inside, put on his black clothes, and made his way to the peasant's
house.

As soon as he had said 'Good-day' he asked, 'Has Peter come home here?'

'No, indeed, he hasn't,' said the man; 'surely he hasn't run away?'

'I hope,' said the clerk, 'that he would not behave so contemptibly
after all the trouble I have had to teach him, and all that I have spent
upon him. I have had to spend at least a hundred dollars of my own money
to buy books for him before I got him so far on. He could say anything
he liked now, so he said to-day that he longed to see his parents
again. I was willing to give him that pleasure, but I was afraid that he
wouldn't be able to find the way here by himself, so I made myself ready
to go with him. When we had got outside the house I remembered that I
had left my stick inside, and went in again to get it. When I came out
again Peter had gone off on his own account. I thought he would be here,
and if he isn't I don't know where he is.'

The peasant and his wife began to lament bitterly that Peter had run
away in this fashion just when they were to have so much joy of him, and
after they had spent so much on his education. The worst of it was that
now they had no heir after all. The clerk comforted them as best he
could; he also was greatly distressed that Peter should have behaved
in such a way just when he should have gained honour from his pupil.
Perhaps he had only gone astray, and he would advertise him at church
next Sunday, and find out where anyone had seen him. Then he bade them
'Good-bye,' and went home nad dined on a good fat veal roast.

Now it so happened that the clerk took in a newspaper, and one day he
chanced to read in its column