He held his cap in the same hand as his staff, and with his handkerchief was wiping the sweat from his bald head, at the same time pulling at the bushy tufts behind his ears and about his neck until they stuck out like spikes.

Oyvind hung behind his father, so the latter was obliged to stand still, and in order to put an end to this he said with excessive gravity,-- "Is the old gentleman out for a walk ?" Ole turned, looked sharply at him, and put on his cap before he replied,-- "Yes, so it seems." "Perhaps you are tired; will you not walk in ?" "Oh! I can rest very well here; my errand will not take long." Some one set the kitchen door ajar and looked out; between it and Thore stood old Ole, with his cap-visor down over his eyes, for the cap was too large now that he had lost his hair.

In order to be able to see he threw his head pretty far back; he held his staff in his right hand, while the left was firmly pressed against his side when he was not gesticulating; and this he never did more vigorously than by stretching the hand half way out and holding it passive a moment, as a guard for his dignity.
"Is that your son who is standing behind you ?" he began, abruptly.
"So they say." "Oyvind is his name, is it not ?" "Yes; they call him Oyvind." "He has been at one of those agricultural schools down south, I believe ?" "There was something of the kind; yes." "Well, my girl--she--my granddaughter--Marit, you know--she has gone mad of late." "That is too bad." "She refuses to marry." "Well, really ?" "She will not have any of the gard boys who offer themselves." "Ah, indeed." "But people say he is to blame; he who is standing there." "Is that so ?" "He is said to have turned her head--yes; he there, your son Oyvind." "The deuce he has!" "See you, I do not like to have any one take my horses when I let them loose on the mountains, neither do I choose to have any one take my daughters when I allow them to go to a dance.

I will not have it." "No, of course not." "I cannot go with them; I am old, I cannot be forever on the lookout." "No, no! no, no!" "Yes, you see, I will have order and propriety; there the block must stand, and there the axe must lie, and there the knife, and there they must sweep, and there throw rubbish out,--not outside the door, but yonder in the corner, just there--yes; and nowhere else.

So, when I say to her: 'not this one but that one!' I expect it to be that one, and not this one!" "Certainly." "But it is not so.