t of the way, Braesig. Every one may
be standing on their heads here for anything _you_ care, and it's all
your fault that we ever took those two lads into the house." "Gently,"
said Braesig. "Gently! Don't excite yourself, Mrs. Nuessler! Well what's
all this about the divinity students?" "A very great deal! But I should
never have said a word about it, for they're Joseph's relations, and
'it's an ill bird that soils its own nest!' There has been no peace or
comfort in the house since the two young men have been here, and if it
goes on like this much longer, I'm afraid that I shall have a quarrel
with Joseph himself." "Mother," said young Joseph, "what can I do?"
"Hold your tongue, young Joseph," cried Braesig, "it's all your fault.
Why didn't you teach them better manners?" "Come, come, Braesig," said
Mrs. Nuessler, "just leave Joseph to me if you please, and remember it's
your fault this time. You promised to keep an eye on the young men, and
see that they didn't get into mischief, and instead of that, you let one
of them do what he likes and never trouble your head to see what he's
after, while you encourage the other to spend all his time in fishing
and such like nonsense, instead of minding his books, so that he's
always out in the fields, and comes home in the evening with a lot of
perch about the length of my finger, and when I think the day's work is
over, I'm expected to go back to the kitchen and cook that trash!"
"What!" cried Braesig. "Does he only bring you in such tiny little fish?
That's queer now, for I've shown him all the best pools for catching
large perch. Then you must * * *! Just wait!" "I'll tell you,"
interrupted Mrs. Nuessler, "you must forbid him to fish, for he didn't
come here to do that. His father sent him here to learn something, and
he's coming to see him this very afternoon." "Well, Mrs. Nuessler," said
Braesig, "I can't help admiring the persistency with which he has
followed my advice about fishing. Hasn't he done anything else though?"
"A great deal, both of them have done a great deal. I've never spoken
about it because they're Joseph's relations, and at first everything
went on _pretty_ well. It was an idle, merry life at first; my two
little girls were very much brightened up by the change and all went on
smoothly. Mina here, and Rudolph there, Lina here, and Godfrey there.
They talked sense with Godfrey and nonsense with Rudolph. The two lads
worked away properly at their books in t