On getting up one morning, Maren found her tenants had gone, they had moved in the middle of the night. "The Devil has been and fetched them," she said cheerfully. She was not at all sorry that they had vanished; they were a sour and quarrelsome family! But the worst of it was that they owed her twelve weeks" rent--twelve crowns--which was all she had to meet the winter with.
Maren put up a notice and waited for new tenants, but none offered themselves; the old ones had spread the rumor that the house was haunted.
Maren felt the loss of the rent so much more as she had given up her profession. She would no longer be a wise woman, it was impossible to bear the curse. "Go to those who are wiser, and leave me in peace," she answered, when they came for advice or to fetch her, and they had to go away with their object unaccomplished, and soon it was said that Maren had lost her witchcraft.
Yes, her strength diminished, her sight was almost gone, and her legs refused to carry her. She spun and knitted for people and took to begging again, Ditte leading her from farm to farm. They were weary journeys; the old woman always complaining and leaning heavily on the child"s shoulder. Ditte could not understand it at all, the flowers in the ditches and a hundred other things called her, she longed to shake off the leaden arm and run about alone, Granny"s everlasting wailing filled her with a hopeless loathing. Then a mischievous thought would seize her. "I can"t find the way, Granny,"
she would suddenly declare, refusing to go a step further, or she would slip away, hiding herself nearby. Maren scolded and threatened for a while, but as it had no effect, she would sit down on the edge of the ditch crying; this softened Ditte and she would hurry back, putting her arms around her grandmother"s neck. Thus they cried together, in sorrow over the miserable world and joy at having found each other again.
A little way inland lived a baker, who gave them a loaf of bread every week. The child was sent for it when Maren was ill in bed.
Ditte was hungry, and this was a great temptation, so she always ran the whole way home to keep the tempter at bay; when she succeeded in bringing the bread back untouched, she and her Granny were equally proud. But it sometimes happened that the pangs of hunger were too strong, and she would tear out the crump from the side of the warm bread as she ran. It was not meant to be seen, and for that reason she took it from the side of the bread--just a little, but before she knew what had happened the whole loaf was hollowed out. Then she would be furious, at herself and Granny and everything.
"Here"s the bread, Granny," she would say in an offhand voice, throwing the bread on the table.
"Thank you, dear, is it new?"
"Yes, Granny," and Ditte disappeared.
Thereupon the old woman would sit gnawing the crust with her sore gums, all the while grumbling at the child. Wicked girl--she should be whipped. She should be turned out, to the workhouse.
To their minds there was nothing worse than the workhouse; in all their existence, it had been as a sword over their heads, and when brought forth by Maren, Ditte would come out from her hiding-place, crying and begging for pardon. The old woman would cry too, and the one would soothe the other, until both were comforted.
"Ay, ay, "tis hard to live," old Maren would say. "If you"d but had a father--one worth having. Maybe you"d have got the thrashings all folks need, and poor old Granny"d have lived with you instead of begging her food!"
Maren had barely finished speaking, when a cart with a bony old nag in the shafts stopped outside on the road. A big stooping man with tousled hair and beard sprang down from the cart, threw the reins over the back of the nag, and came towards the house. He looked like a coalheaver.
"He"s selling herrings," said Ditte, who was kneeling on a stool by the window. "Shall I let him in?"
"Ay, just open the door."
Ditte unbolted the door, and the man came staggering in. He wore heavy wooden boots, into which his trousers were pushed; and each step he took rang through the room, which was too low for him to stand upright in. He stood looking round just inside the door; Ditte had taken refuge behind Granny"s spinning wheel. He came towards the living room, holding out his hand.
Ditte burst into laughter at his confusion when the old woman did not accept it. "Why, Granny"s blind!" she said, bubbling over with mirth.
"Oh, that"s it? Then it"s hardly to be expected that you could see,"
he said, taking the old woman"s hand. "Well, I"m your son-in-law, there"s news for you." His voice rang with good-humor.
Maren quickly raised her head. "Which of the girls is it?" asked she.
"The mother of this young one," answered he, aiming at Ditte with his big battered hat. "It"s not what you might call legal yet; we"ve done without the parson till he"s needed--so much comes afore that.
But a house and a home we"ve got, though poor it may be. We live a good seven miles inland on the other side of the common--on the _sand_--folks call it the "Crow"s Nest"!"
"And what"s your name?" asked Maren again.
"Lars Peter Hansen, I was christened."
The old woman considered for a while, then shook her head. "I"ve never heard of you."
"My father was called the hangman. Maybe you know me now?"
"Ay, "tis a known name--if not of the best."
"Folks can"t always choose their own names, or character either, and must just be satisfied with a clear conscience. But as I was pa.s.sing I thought I"d just look in and see you. When we"re having the parson to give us his blessing, Sorine and me, I"ll come with the trap and fetch the two of you to church. That"s if you don"t care to move down to us at once--seems like that would be best."
"Did Sorine send the message?" asked Maren suspiciously.
Lars Peter Hansen mumbled something, which might be taken for either yes or no.
"Ay, I thought so, you hit on it yourself, and thanks to you for your kindness; but we"d better stay where we are. Though we"d like to go to the wedding. "Tis eight children I"ve brought into the world, and nigh all married now, but I"ve never been asked to a wedding afore." Maren became thoughtful. "And what"s your trade?"
she asked soon after.
"I hawk herrings--and anything else to be got. Buy rags and bones too when folks have any."
"You can hardly make much at that--for folks wear their rags as long as there"s a thread left--and there"s few better off than that. Or maybe they"re more well-to-do in other places?"
"Nay, "tis the same there as here, clothes worn out to the last thread, and bones used until they crumble," answered the man with a laugh. "But a living"s to be made."
"Ay, that"s so, food"s to be got from somewhere! But you must be hungry? "Tisn"t much we"ve got to offer you, though we can manage a cup of coffee, if that"s good enough--Ditte, run along to the baker and tell him what you"ve done to the bread, and that we"ve got company. Maybe he"ll scold you and give you another--if he doesn"t, we"ll have to go without next week. But tell the truth. Hurry up now--and don"t pull out the crump."
With lingering feet Ditte went out of the door. It was a hard punishment, and she hung back in the hope that Granny would relent and let her off fetching the bread. Pull out the crump--no, never again, today or as long as she lived. Her ears burned with shame at the thought that her new father should know her misdeeds, the baker too would know what a wicked girl she was to Granny. She would not tell an untruth, for Granny always said to clear oneself with a lie was like cutting thistles: cut off the head of one and half a dozen will spring up in its place. Ditte knew from experience that lies always came back on one with redoubled trouble; consequently she had made up her little mind, that it did not pay to avoid the truth.
Lars Peter Hansen sat by the window gazing after the child, who loitered along the road, and as she suddenly began to run, he turned to the old woman, asking: "Can you manage her?"
"Ay, she"s good enough," said Maren from the kitchen, fumbling with the sticks in trying to light the fire. "I"ve no one better to lean on--and don"t want it either. But she"s a child, and I"m old and troublesome--so the one makes up for the other. The foal will kick backwards, and the old horse will stand. But "tis dull to spend one"s childhood with one that"s old and weak and all."
Ditte was breathless when she reached the baker"s, so quickly had she run in order to get back as soon as possible to the big stooping man with the good-natured growl.
"Now I"ve got a father, just like other children," she shouted breathlessly. "He"s at home with Granny--and he"s got a horse and cart."
"Nay, is that so?" said they, opening their eyes, "and what"s his name?"
"He"s called the rag and bone man!" answered Ditte proudly.
And they knew him here! Ditte saw them exchange glances.
"Then you belong to a grand family," said the baker"s wife, laying the loaf of bread on the counter--without realizing that the child had already had her weekly loaf, so taken up was she with the news.
And Ditte, who was even more so, seized the bread and ran. Not until she was halfway home did she remember what she ought to have confessed; it was too late then.
Before Lars Peter Hansen left, he presented them with a dozen herrings, and repeated his promise of coming to fetch them to the wedding.
CHAPTER XI
THE NEW FATHER