However, it was impossible for him to keep any secret for long.
First one thing, then another, came out, and eventually Ditte had a pretty good idea of what had happened, and would discuss it with him. In the evenings, when the little ones were in bed, they would talk it over.
"But don"t you think she was a real princess?" asked Ditte each time. She always came back to this--it appealed to her vivid imagination and love of adventure.
"The Lord only knows," answered her father thoughtfully. He could not fathom how he could have been such a fool; he had managed so well with the Jews in the stable-yard. "Ay, the Lord only knows!"
"And the Bandmaster," said Ditte eagerly, "he must have been a wonderful man."
"Ay, that"s true--a conjurer! He made I don"t know how many drinks disappear without any one seeing how it was done. He held the gla.s.s on the table in his left hand, slapped his elbow with his right--and there it was empty."
To Ditte it was a most exciting adventure, and incidents that had seemed far from pleasant to Lars Peter became wonders in Ditte"s version of the affair. Lars Peter was grateful for the child"s help, and together they spoke of it so long, that slowly, and without his being aware of it, the whole experience a.s.sumed quite a different aspect.
It certainly had been a remarkable evening. And the princess--yes, she must have been there in reality, strange though it sounded that a beggar like him should have been in such company. But the devil of a woman she was to drink and smoke. "Ay, she was real enough--or I wouldn"t have been so taken with her," admitted he.
"Then you"ve slept with a real princess--just like the giant in the fairy tale," broke out Ditte, clapping her hands in glee. "You have, father!" She looked beamingly at him.
Lars Peter was silent with embarra.s.sment, and sat blinking at the lamp--he had not looked upon it in the innocent light of a fairy tale. To him it seemed--well, something rather bad--it was being unfaithful to Sorine.
"Ay, that"s true," said he. "But then, will Mother forgive it?"
"Oh, never mind!" answered Ditte. "But it was a good thing you didn"t cut yourself!"
Lars Peter lifted his head, looking uncertainly at her.
"Ay, because there must have been a drawn sword between you--there always is. You see, princesses are too grand to be touched."
"Oh--ay! that"s more than likely." Lars Peter turned this over in his mind. The explanation pleased him, and he took it to himself; it was a comforting idea. "Ay, "tis dangerous to have dealings with princesses, even though a man doesn"t know it at the time," said he.
Lars Peter thought no more of visiting Sorine in prison. He would have liked to see her and clasp her hand, even though it were only through an iron grating; but it was not to be. He must have patience until she had served her time.
To him the punishment was that they had to live apart in the coming years. He lacked imagination to comprehend Sorine"s life behind prison walls, and therefore he could not think of her for long at a time. But unconsciously he missed her, so much so that he felt depressed.
Lars Peter was no longer eager to work--the motive power was lacking. He was too easily contented with things as they were; there was no-one to taunt him with being poorer than others. Ditte was too good-natured; she was more given to taking burdens on her own shoulders.
He had grown quieter, and stooped more than ever. He played less with the children, and his voice had lost some of its ring. He never sang now, as he drove up to the farms to trade; he felt that people gossiped about him and his affairs, and this took away his confidence. It made itself felt when housewives and maids no longer smiled and enjoyed his jokes or cleared out all their old rubbish for him. He was never invited inside now--he was the husband of a murderess! Trade dwindled away--not that he minded--it gave him more time with the children at home.
At the same time there was less to keep house on. But, thanks to Ditte, they sc.r.a.ped along; little as she was, she knew how to make both ends meet, so they did not starve.
There was now plenty of time for Lars Peter to build. Beams and stones lay all round as a silent reproach to him.
"Aren"t you going to do anything with it?" Ditte would ask. "Folk say it"s lying there wasting."
"Where did you hear that?" asked Lars Peter bitterly.
"Oh--at school!"
So they talked about that too! There was not much where he was concerned which was not torn to pieces. No, he had no desire to build. "We"ve got a roof over our heads," said he indifferently. "If any one thinks our hut"s not good enough, let them give us another."
But the building materials remained there as an accusation; he was not sorry when they were overgrown with gra.s.s.
What good would it do to build? The Crow"s Nest was, and would remain, the Crow"s Nest, however much they tried to polish it up. It had not grown in esteem by Sorine"s deed. She had done her best to give them a lift up in the world--and had only succeeded in pushing them down to the uttermost depth. Previously, it had only been misfortune which clung to the house, and kept better people away; now it was crime. No-one would come near the house after dusk, and by day they had as little as possible to do with the rag and bone man. The children were shunned; they were the offspring of a murderess, and nothing was too bad to be thought of them.
The people tried to excuse their harshness, and justified their behavior towards the family, by endowing them with all the worst qualities. At one time it was reported that they were thieves. But that died down, and then they said that the house was haunted. Old Maren went about searching for her money; first one, then another, had met her on the highroad at night, on her way to the Crow"s Nest.
The full burden of all this fell on the little ones. It was mercilessly thrown in their faces by the other children at school; and when they came home crying, Lars Peter of course had to bear his share too. No-one dared say anything to him, himself--let them try if they dared! The rag and bone man"s fingers tingled when he heard all this backbiting--why couldn"t he and his be allowed to go in peace. He wouldn"t mind catching one of the rogues red-handed. He would knock him down in cold blood, whatever the consequences might be.
Kristian now went to school too, in the infants" cla.s.s. The cla.s.ses were held every other day, and his did not coincide with Ditte"s, who was in a higher cla.s.s. He had great difficulty in keeping up with the other children, and could hardly be driven off in the mornings. "They call me the young crow," he said, crying.
"Then call them names back again," said Ditte; and off he had to go.
But one day there came a message from the schoolmaster that the boy was absent too often. The message was repeated. Ditte could not understand it. She had a long talk with the boy, and got out of him that he often played truant. He made a pretense of going to school, hung about anywhere all day long, and only returned home when school-time was over. She said nothing of this to Lars Peter--it would only have made things worse.
The unkindness from outside made them cling more closely to one another. There was something of the hunted animal in them; Lars Peter was reserved in his manner to people, and was ready to fly out if attacked. The whole family grew shy and suspicious. When the children played outside the house, and saw people approaching on the highroad, they would rush in, peeping at them from behind the broken window-panes. Ditte watched like a she-wolf, lest other children should harm her little brothers and sister; when necessary, she would both bite and kick, and she could hurl words at them too. One day when Lars Peter was driving past the school, the schoolmaster came out and complained of her--she used such bad language. He could not understand it; at home she was always good and saw that the little ones behaved properly. When he spoke of this, Ditte hardened.
"I won"t stand their teasing," said she.
"Then stay at home from school, and then we"ll see what they"ll do."
"We"ll only be fined for every day; and then one day they"ll come and fetch me," said Ditte bitterly.
"They won"t easily take you away by force. Somebody else would have something to say to that." Lars Peter nodded threateningly.
But Ditte would not--she would take her chance. "I"ve just as much right to be there as the others," she said stubbornly.
"Ay, ay, that"s so. But it"s a shame you should suffer for other people"s wickedness."
Lars Peter seldom went out now, but busied himself cultivating his land, so that he could be near the children and home. He had a feeling of insecurity; people had banded themselves together against him and his family, and meant them no good. He was uneasy when away from home, and constantly felt as if something had happened. The children were delighted at the change.
"Are you going to stay at home tomorrow too, Father?" asked the two little ones every evening, gazing up at him with their small arms round his huge legs. Lars Peter nodded.
"We must keep together here in the Crow"s Nest," said he to Ditte as if in excuse. "We can"t get rid of the "rag and bone man"--or the other either; but no-one can prevent us from being happy together."
Well, Ditte did not object to his staying at home. As long as they got food, the rest was of no consequence.
Yes, they certainly must keep together--and get all they could out of one another, otherwise life would be too miserable to bear. On Sundays Lars Peter would harness the nag and drive them out to Frederiksvaerk, or to the other side of the lake. It was pleasant to drive, and as long as they possessed a horse and cart, they could not be utterly dest.i.tute.
Their small circle of acquaintances had vanished, but thanks to Klavs they found new friends. They were a cottager"s family by the marsh--people whom no-one else would have anything to do with. There were about a dozen children, and though both the man and his wife went out as day laborers, they could not keep them, and the parish had to help. Lars Peter had frequently given them a hand with his cart, but there had never been much intercourse as long as Sorine was in command of the Crow"s Nest. But now it came quite naturally.
Birds of a feather flock together--so people said.
To the children it meant play-fellows and comrades in disgrace. It was quite a treat to be asked over to Johansens on a Sunday afternoon, or even more so to have them at the Crow"s Nest. There was a certain satisfaction in having visitors under their roof, and giving them the best the house could provide. For days before they came Ditte would be busy making preparations: setting out milk for cream to have with the coffee, and buying in all they could afford.
On Sunday morning she would cut large plates of bread-and-b.u.t.ter, to make it easier for her in the afternoon. As soon as the guests arrived, they would have coffee, bread-and-b.u.t.ter and home-made cakes. Then the children would play "Touch," or "Bobbies and Thieves." Lars Peter allowed them to run all over the place, and there would be wild hunting in and outside the Crow"s Nest. In the meanwhile the grown-ups wandered about in the fields, looking at the crops. Ditte went with them, keeping by the side of Johansen"s wife, with her hands under her ap.r.o.n, just as she did.
At six o"clock they had supper, sandwiches with beer and brandy; then they would sit for a short time talking, before going home.
There was the evening work to be done, and every one had to get up early the next morning.
They were people even poorer than themselves. They came in shining wooden shoes, and in clean blue working clothes. They were so poor that in the winter they never had anything to eat but herrings and potatoes, and it delighted Ditte to give them a really good meal: sandwiches of the best, and bottles of beer out of which the cork popped and the froth overflowed.