advice as to what you'd
better do with your money, and let me tell you one thing, lend nothing
to any one--' Now tell me, mother, tell me, wife, who'd have thought of
such a thing? Who'd ever expect as much from old Grubersepp, who's
always afraid he might waste a word? Now, Walpurga, you can see that
the people aren't all wicked; good and bad are mixed together in the
palace as well as in the village. When they find that Grubersepp keeps
company with me, they'll come flocking back, just like bees to a mellow
pear."

It was indeed a great event. A resident of the capital could not feel
more highly favored if accosted by the king in the public street, than
Hansei and his whole family now were.

Walpurga wanted to go up to Grubersepp's at once, and to acknowledge
that she had done him wrong, but Hansei said:

"There's no need of being in such a hurry about it. I'll wait till he
comes again; I won't go one step to meet him."

"You're right," replied Walpurga, "you're the right sort of a man."

"I've got my full growth," said he. "Isn't it so, uncle? I'm done
growing."

"Yes," replied the uncle, "you've got your full size. But do you know
what you ought to be? You ought to own a large farm. You'd be the very
man, and Walpurga the very woman for it; and now that I think of it,
have you heard that the owner of the freehold at our place wants to
sell? They say he's obliged to. You ought to go there; you'd be better
off than the king, then. If you've got the ready money, you can buy the
farm at half-price."

The uncle now praised the farm, with its fields and its meadows, and
said the soil was so rich and in such good condition that it was almost
good enough to eat; and as to the timber, no one knew how much it was
worth. The only trouble was that one couldn't get at it everywhere.

The uncle was a pitchburner, and knew the woods well.

Walpurga was quite happy, and said:

"It won't do to lose sight of this."

Hansei seemed quite indifferent about the matter. Walpurga took his
hand in hers, and whispered: "I've something more for you."

"I don't need anything. There's only one thing I ask of you: let me
attend to the purchase of the farm, and don't let uncle see that you
snuff at it so. I really think the farmer must have sent him here. We
must be hard, and make believe we don't care for it at all. I shan't
neglect the matter, you may depend upon that. And, besides, I've been a
woodcutter long enough to know some