ngly and Sally began, and became more and more
excited the longer she talked. She was most excited when she came to
telling about the lady and her little boy, describing the way she
talked, how she and the boy were dressed, and her aristocratic way. But
all at once 'Lizebeth jumped as if a wasp had stung her and she called
out, "What do you say, Sally? This woman wears a silk dress in the
middle of the week? Silk? And she lives at Marianne's? And the boy wears
velvet pants and a jacket all of velvet? Well, well! I have lived ten
years with your great-grandfather and thirty with your grandfather and
twelve with your father, and I have seen your father grow up from the
first day of his life and your little brothers. And I have known them
since they were babies and none of them ever had velvet pants on their
body, and yet they were all ministers, your great-grandfather, your
grandfather, your father, and the little ones will be ministers too, and
none of them ever had even a piece of velvet on them and this woman in
the middle of the week walks about in silk, yes indeed! And then taking
rooms at Marianne's and living where the basket mender has lived, I tell
you, Sally, there is something behind that! But it has to come out, and
if Marianne wants to help a hundred times to cover it up, I tell you,
Sally, I will bring out what is behind it all. Yes, indeed, velvet
pants? I wonder what we shall hear next!"

Sally stood quite astounded before the anger-spouting 'Lizebeth, and
could not understand the cause of this outbreak. But she had enough of
it, so she turned round and hastened into the sitting-room, where,
according to her expectations, at the very last moment, just when
'Lizebeth came into the room with the soup tureen, the brothers
appeared, in a peculiar way. At each side of 'Lizebeth one crawled into
the room, then shot straight across the room, like the birds before a
storm shoot through the air so that one fears they will run their heads
against something. Fortunately the two boys did not run their heads
against anything, but each landed quite safely on his chair, and at once
'Lizebeth placed the soup on the table; but so decidedly and with such
an angry face, as if she wanted to say: "There! If you had to put up
with what I have to, then you would not trouble about your soup."

When she was again out of the room the father said, looking at his wife:
"There will be a thunder storm, sure signs are visible." Then tur