o your head?"

With an effort Peer managed to get out: "It's always been what I wanted.
And he--father--"

"Who? Father--? Do you mean your benefactor?"

"Well, he was my father, wasn't he?" burst out Peer.

The schoolmaster tottered back and sank into a chair, staring at Peer as
if he thought him a quite hopeless subject. At last he recovered so far
as to say: "Look here, my lad, don't you think you might be content to
call him--now and for the future--just your benefactor? Don't you think
he deserves it?"

"Oh, yes," whispered Peer, almost in tears.

"You are thinking, of course--you and those who have put all this
nonsense into your head--of the money which he--h'm--"

"Yes--isn't there a savings bank account--?"

"Aha! There we are! Yes, indeed. There is a savings bank account--in my
care." He rose, and hunted out from a drawer a small green-covered book.
Peer could not take his eyes from it. "Here it is. The sum entered here
to your account amounts to eighteen hundred crowns."

Crash! Peer felt as if he had fallen through the floor into the
cellarage. All his dreams vanished into thin air--the million
crowns--priest and bishop--Christiania--and all the rest.

"On the day when you are in a fair way to set up independently as an
artisan, a farmer, or a fisherman--and when you seem to me, to the best
of my judgment, to deserve such help--then and not till then I place
this book at your disposal. Do you understand what I say?"

"Yes."

"I am perfectly sure that I am in full agreement with the wishes of
the donor in deciding that the money must remain untouched in my safe
keeping until then."

"Yes," whispered Peer.

"What?--are you crying?"

"N-no. Good-morning--"

"No, pray don't go yet. Sit down. There are one or two things we must
get settled at once. First of all--you must trust me, my good boy. Do
you believe that I wish you well, or do you not?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then it is agreed that all these fancies about going to college and so
forth must be driven out of your head once for all?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"You can see yourself that, even supposing you had the mental
qualifications, such a sum, generous as it is in itself, would not
suffice to carry you far."

"No-no, sir."

"On the other hand, if you wish it, I will gladly arrange to get you an
apprentice's place with a good handicraftsman here. You would have free
board there, and--well, if you should want clothes the first year or so,
I d