Part 29 (1/2)

Apparently he spent a great deal of money; no-one could say how much he made. That was his business, but he behaved as if he alone kept things going, and was easily put out. Lars Peter never interfered, he liked peace in the house.

One day, however, they quarreled in earnest. Johannes had always had his eye on the nag, and one day when Lars Peter was away, he dragged it out of the stall and tied it up, he was going to teach it to behave, he said to the children. With difficulty he harnessed it to the cart, it lashed its tail and showed its teeth, and when Johannes wanted it to set off, refused to stir, however much it was lashed.

At last, beside himself with temper, he jumped off the cart, seized a shaft from the harrow, and began hitting at its legs with all his might. The children screamed. The horse was trembling, bathed in perspiration, its flanks heaving violently. Each time he jumped up to it, the nag kicked up its hind legs, and at last giving up the fight, Johannes threw away his weapon and went into his room.

Ditte had tried to throw herself between them, but had been brushed aside; now she went up to the horse. She unharnessed it, gave it water to drink, and put a wet sack over its wounds, while the little ones stood round crying and offering it bread. Shortly afterwards Johannes came out; he had changed his clothes. Quickly, without a look at any one, he harnessed and drove off. The little ones came out from their hiding-place and gazed after him.

”Is he going away now?” asked sister Else.

”I only wish he would, or the horse bolt, so he could never find his way back again, nasty brute,” said Kristian. None of them liked him any longer.

A man came along the footpath down by the marsh, it was their father. The children ran to meet him, and all started to tell what had happened. Lars Peter stared at them for a moment, as if he could not take in what they had said, then set off at a run; Ditte followed him into the stable. There stood Klavs, looking very miserable; the poor beast still trembled when they spoke to it; its body was badly cut. Lars Peter's face was gray.

”He may thank the Lord that he's not here now!” he said to Ditte. He examined the horse's limbs to make sure no bones were broken; the nag carefully lifted one leg, then the other, and moaned.

”Blood-hound,” said Lars Peter, softly stroking its legs, ”treating poor old Klavs like that.”

Klavs whinnied and sc.r.a.ped the stones with his hoofs. He took advantage of his master's sympathy and begged for an extra supply of corn.

”You should give him a good beating,” said Kristian seriously.

”I've a mind to turn him out altogether,” answered the father darkly. ”'Twould be best for all of us.”

”Yes, and d'you know, Father? Can you guess why the Johansens haven't been to see us this summer? They're afraid of what we'll give them to eat; they say we make food from dead animals.”

”Where did you hear that, Ditte?” Lars Peter looked at her in blank despair.

”The children shouted it after me today. They asked if I wouldn't like a dead cat to make sausages.”

”Ay, I thought as much,” he laughed miserably. ”Well, we can do without them,--what the devil do I want with them!” he shouted so loudly that little Povl began to cry.

”Hush now, I didn't mean to frighten you,” Lars Peter took him in his arms. ”But it's enough to make a man lose his temper.”

Two days afterwards, Johannes returned home, looking as dirty and rakish as he possibly could. Lars Peter had to help him out of the cart, he could hardly stand on his legs. But he was not at loss for words. Lars Peter was silent at his insolence and dragged him into the barn, where he at once fell asleep. There he lay like a dead beast, deathly white, with a lock of black hair falling over his brow, and plastered on his forehead--he looked a wreck. The children crept over to the barn-door and peered at him through the half dark; when they caught sight of him they rushed out with terror into the fields. It was too horrible.

Lars Peter went to and fro, cutting hay for the horses. As he pa.s.sed his brother, he stopped, and looked at him thoughtfully. That was how a man should look to keep up with other people: smooth and polished outside, and cold and heartless inside. No-one looked down on him just because he had impudence. Women admired him, and made some excuse to pa.s.s on the highroad in the evenings, and as for the men--his dissipation and his fights over girls probably overwhelmed them.

Lars Peter put his hand into his brother's pocket and took out the pocketbook--it was empty! He had taken 150 crowns with him from their joint savings--to be used for buying cattle, it was all the money there was in the house; and now he had squandered it all.

His hands began to tremble. He leant over his brother, as if to seize him; but straightened himself and left the barn. He hung about for two or three hours, to give his brother time to sleep off the drink, then went in again. This time he would settle up. He shook his brother and wakened him.

”Where's the money to buy the calf?” asked he.

”What's that to you?” Johannes threw himself on his other side.

Lars Peter dragged him to his feet. ”I want to speak to you,” said he.

”Oh, go to h.e.l.l,” mumbled Johannes. He did not open his eyes, and tumbled back into the hay.

Lars Peter brought a pail of ice-cold water from the well.