ctacles and having the holy book in front of her, according to
custom, otherwise it was not right.

Ditte was nearly of school age, but Maren took no notice of it, and
kept her home. She was afraid of the child not getting on with the
other children--and could not imagine how she herself could spare
her the whole day long. But at the end of six months they were
found out, and Maren was threatened, that unless the child was sent
to school, she would be taken from her altogether.

Having fitted out Ditte as well as she could, she sent her off with
a heavy heart. The birth certificate she purposely omitted giving
her; as it bore in the corner the fateful: born out of wedlock.
Maren could not understand why an innocent child should be stamped
as unclean; the child had enough to fight against without that. But
Ditte returned with strict injunctions to bring the certificate the
next day, and Maren was obliged to give it to her. It was hopeless
to fight against injustice.

Maren knew well that magistrates were no institution of God's
making--she had been born with this knowledge! They only oppressed
her and her kind; and with this end in view used their own hard
method, which was none of God's doing at all. He, on the contrary,
was a friend of the poor; at least His only son, who was sitting on
His right hand, whispered good things of the poor, and it was
reasonable to expect that He would willingly help. But what did it
help when the mighty ones would have it otherwise? It was the squire
and his like, who had the power! It was towards them the parson
turned when preaching, letting the poor folks look after themselves,
and towards them the deacon glanced when singing. It was all very
fine for them, with the magistrate carrying their trains, and
opening their carriage door, with a peasant woman always ready to
lay herself on all fours to prevent them wetting their feet as they
stepped in. No "born out of wedlock" on _their_ birth certificate;
although one often might question their genuineness!

"But why does the Lord let it be like that?" asked Ditte
wonderingly.

"He has to, or there'd be no churches built nor no fuss made of
Him," answered Maren. "Grandfather Soeren always said, that the Lord
lived in the pockets of the mighty, and it seems as if he's right."

* * * * *

Ditte now went three times a week to school, which lay an hour's
journey away, over the common. She went together wi