her?"

"Why, how should I, silly? Who says that mother knew herself who it
was?"

There was a pause. Then Peer brought out, rather awkwardly: "We're all
alone, then--you and I."

"Yes--we are that."

"Louise! What are you thinking of taking to now?"

"What are you?"

So Peer told her all his plans. She said nothing for a little while--no
doubt she was lying thinking of the grand things he had before him.

At last she spoke. "Do you think--does it cost very much to learn to be
a midwife?"

"A midwife--is that what you want to be, girl?" Peer couldn't help
laughing. So this was what she had been planning in these days--since he
had offered to help her on in the world.

"Do you think my hands are too big?" she ventured presently--he could
just hear the whisper.

Peer felt a pang of pity. He had noticed already how ill the red swollen
hands matched her pale clear-cut face, and he knew that in the country,
when any one has small, fine hands, people call them "midwife's hands."

"We'll manage it somehow, I daresay," said Peer, turning round to the
wall. He had heard that it cost several hundred crowns to go through the
course at the midwifery school. It would be years before he could get
together anything like that sum. Poor girl, it looked as if she would
have a long time to wait.

After that they fell silent. The north-wester roared over the housetops,
and presently brother and sister were asleep.

When Peer awoke the next morning, Louise was about already, making
coffee over the little stove. Then she opened her box, took out a yellow
petticoat and hung it on a nail, placed a pair of new shoes against the
wall, lifted out some under-linen and woollen stockings, looked at them,
and put them back again. The little box held all her worldly goods.

As Peer was getting up: "Gracious mercy!" she cried suddenly, "what is
that awful noise down in the yard?"

"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," said Peer. "It's only the
job-master and his wife. They carry on like that every blessed morning;
you'll soon get used to it."

Soon they were seated once more at the little table, drinking coffee
and laughing and looking at each other. Louise had found time to do her
hair--the two fair plaits hung down over her shoulders.

It was time for Peer to be off, and, warning the girl not to go too far
from home and get lost, he ran down the stairs.

At the works he met Klaus Brock, and told him that his sister had come
to t