ise?"

"Mother often says that the men are all good for nothing, but she says
my Hansei's not like the rest of 'em. He'd be heartily ashamed of
himself if he spoke a loving word to another woman. It would haunt him
day and night, and he'd never be able to look any one in the face
again. He's not one of your sharp, clever folks--far from it; but he's
good, thoroughly good at heart; a little bit close in money matters,
and he's always afraid that, some time or other, we might come to want.
However, one who has to save every kreutzer can easily get used to
that. But, thank God, that's over, now."

When Walpurga had once begun to talk, she would, unless interrupted,
run on like a mountain spring. She had a thousand and one little
stories to tell.--How she had, for the first time, bought three geese,
two white and one gray; how many feathers she got from them, and what a
good price she obtained for the feathers; and that she now had eight
ducks--they were much more useful than geese, and required but little
food; and that her goat was wondrous clever. They had once had a sheep,
but that was nothing. They belong in flocks and don't thrive well
alone. At last, Walpurga said that she could hardly believe that they
really had two cows of their own in the stable. She had never, in all
her life, even wished for so much. And then she spoke of the innkeeper
and said that, although one couldn't trust him, it was necessary to
keep on good terms with him, for, if he was your enemy, you might as
well be put out of the village and the principal house would be closed
to you. The innkeeper would, once in a while, do you a favor, if he
lost nothing by it. He had paid a good price for her ducks and fish,
and if you should happen to need it, you could always get a little from
him on trust. She didn't want to speak ill of him, but he had once been
impudent to her; but she had taught him a lesson that he'd remember as
long as he lived. She hoped the queen wouldn't do anything to him for
that; he was good enough, after all, considering that he was an
innkeeper. But there were ever so many good people in their
neighborhood. They didn't give anything away, and she wouldn't want
their gifts, but when you know that on every hillside there are people
who feel kindly toward you, it makes the whole neighborhood seem as if
it were one warm room.

The queen smiled.

Walpurga went on talking. The more she talked, the more the child
prattled and crowe