Pelle the Conqueror, Vol. 2

, and Pelle walked behind him, carrying the bundle. Little Nikas saluted many friendly maidservants in the houses of the neighborhood, and Pelle found it more amusing to walk beside him than to follo

attached to the end of a long cord, and he followed the swinging of the pendulum with his fingers, as tho

king an experiment,"

Then it occurred to Pelle that he was not al

ree hand to his mouth, as though he were yawning, and introduced a crumb of black bread, which he had picked up in the kitchen. His braces were broken, so he had cont

because his method of progression called for plenty of room. He would stand still and look on the ground until the last of the other followers had gone a few steps in advance, then he would set his crutch in front of him, swing himself forward for a space,

flap of his black mourning-breeches, so that it hung over his knees like

av has fo

ment backward, and Pelle ducked his head

y fat woman was standing there quarrelling with two seamen.

began. "She's a dread

rm

oodcarver's steps. "One, two, three, four- that's it; now come on!" He counted ten

protruded his own buttocks as far as he could, smoothed down a crease in his jacket over his hips, raised himself elegantly upon the balls of his feet and marched proudly forward, one hand thrust in

e. "Ah, he was cowherd up at Stone Farm!" Then he called to another, asking him about Lasse -the old cowherd at Stone Farm-and he again called to a third, and they all gathered about the carts, in order to talk the matter over. There were men h

o was busily going from cart to cart, ordering meat, had called to him. They hung together like the halves of a pea-pod w

stiff funereal state by the window; he held a folded white hand

tion of yours?" said t

nd children. There is always some one to mourn and re

s are bad this y

we have that blessed Bjerregrav!" he shouted; "and in s

!" answered Bjerregr

unexpectedly reminded of death. "You, Bjerregrav, you ought to b

there is no one who stands near to me. No living person loses anything because I follow those who die. And

t something of all the good things they have to eat,

she's to feed them-to take food from her-no, I couldn't do it! She's had to bor

ter Andres; "any one with little children has

band the last honors,"

duty of eve

ike the performances on the other side of the earth, where the widow throws her

to get us to swallow one of your stinking lies, Andres. You'd

re trying to keep something invisible from touching his body. "God be thanked that we came into the world on t

ere she got all that m

rav, in a tone of voice that made it clear t

end a poor mate's widow three hundred kroner? He

. "You've given her the money, it's you has done it; nobod

othing to you! And she has had one happy day in the

at!" said Je

ands like this looking down into the grave?" asked t

here, where you are better off than

lows only poor people," said

supposing it were all a take-in! Suppose he follows them and enjoys the who

" Baker Jorgen turned his thick body. "Here we go about imag

liever!" said Jeppe, and st

well help thinking. And what does a man see round about him? Sickness and death and halleluiah! We live, and we live

the world and assume his name and likeness, and carry on after him.... There lay his belief; there was noth

ever been seriously ill, and since Mother Bengta died, death had never encroached upon his world. And that was lucky for him, as it would have been a case of all or nothing, for he had only Father Lasse. For P

where the crowd was thickest. There was no use in waiting; Pelle was accus

is that?" they said

been at Stone Farm since I was eight, and that is the biggest farm in the north country." He had put hi

then!" said one, and the other

done a bit of ploughing, and

another. "Are you r

plexed; they had spoken the word

elf. And he comes from the biggest farm in the cou

alled Kongstrup," sai

nly the

oesn't see it now! Why, Lord, th

mp. "And there at the farm there was a man called Erik, who was so strong that he could thrash thr

farmer chap so that he loses his senses? Who was it

s eyes upon his. But the rascal let fly at him again. "Take care o

had to serve as collar and cuffs. He knew well enough that he was clean an

as in reference to Kongstrup's shoes. Pelle had debated with himself as to whether he should wear them on a

here was nothing with which he could lay about him, for this would infallibly

lad came forward. "Have you

s at all," answer

Well, can you pla

se Pell

his eyes, and turned him with his face against the plan

caught, one after another! He finished his counting and took his cap from his eyes. No one was to be seen. "Say 'peep'!" he cried; but no one answered. For half an hour Pelle searched

not talk about the heroic deeds which elsewhere gave a man foothold; here such things merely aroused scornful laughter. He tried it again and again, always

ifferent jargon, the clothes were different, and people went about things in a different way. Everything he had valued was turned to ridicule, even down to his pretty cap with its ear-flaps and its ribbon adorned with representations of harvest implement

m, and he set himself restlessly to find out the new values and to conduct a war of elimination against himself. After every defeat he took himself unweariedly to task, and the next evening he would go forth once more, enriched by so many experiences, and would suffer defeat at a new point. He wanted to conquer-but what must he not sacrifice first? He knew of nothing more splendid than to march resoundingly through the streets, his legs thrust into Lasse's old boots-this was

t become, the cobbler was, and remained, a poor creature with a pitchy snout and a big behind! Personal perfor

eople wore their Sunday clothes, and many sat still and earned lots of money, but no one knew how. All roads came hither, and the town swallowed everything: pigs and corn and men-everything sooner or later found its harbor here! The Sow lived here with Rud, who was now apprenticed to a p

Lasse-he wa