Pelle the Conqueror, Martin Andersen Nexø [best fantasy books to read .TXT] 📗

to the office and asked for a settlement, and they cheated me of fifty subscribers, the rogues!

“Of course I went to the police: I was stupid enough to do that at that time. But they’re all a lot of rogues together. They thought it wouldn’t do to believe a word that I said, and would have liked to put me in prison at once; but for all they poked about they couldn’t find a peg to hang their hat upon. ‘He’s managing to hide it well this time, the sly fellow!’ they said, and let me go. But there soon was something, for I settled the matter myself, and you may take your oath my employers didn’t get the best of the arrangement. You see there are two kinds of people⁠—poor people who are only honest when they let themselves be robbed, and all the others. Why the devil should one go about like a shorn sheep and not rob back! Some day of course there’ll be a bust-up, and then⁠—‘three years, prisoner!’ I shall be in again before long.”

“That depends upon yourself,” said Pelle slowly.

“Oh, well, of course you can do something; but the police are always getting sharper, and the man isn’t born who won’t fall into the trap sooner or later.”

“You should try and get some honest employment again. You’ve shown that you can succeed.”

Ferdinand whistled. “In such a paltry way as that! Many thanks for the good advice! You’d like me to look after a bloated aristocrat’s geese and then sit on the steps and eat dry bread to the smell of the roast bird, would you? No, thank you! And even if I did⁠—what then? You may be quite sure they’d keep a good watch on a fellow, if he tried an honest job, and it wouldn’t be two days before the shadow was there. ‘What’s this about Ferdinand? I hear things are not all square with him. I’m sorry, for he’s really worked well; but he’d better look out for another place.’ That’s what the decent ones would do; the others would simply wait until his wages were due and take something off⁠—because he’d been in once. They could never be sure that he hadn’t stolen something from them, could they? and it’s best to be careful! If you make a fuss, you’re called a thief to your face. I’ve tried it, let me tell you! And now you can try it yourself. You’ll be in again as soon as ever the spring comes! The worst of it is that it gets more every time; a fellow like me may get five years for stealing five krones. Isn’t that a shame? So it’s just as well to do something to make it worth while. It wouldn’t matter if you could only get a good hit at it all. It’s all one to me now that mother’s dead. There’s a child crying, but it’s not for me. There isn’t a soul that would shed a tear if I had to lay my head on the block. They’d come and stare, that’s what they’d do⁠—and I should get properly into the papers!

“Wicked? Of course I’m wicked! Sometimes I feel like one great sore, and would like to let them hear all about it. There’s no such thing as gentle hands. That’s only a lie, so I owe nothing to anybody. Several times while I’ve been in there I’ve made up my mind to kill the warder, just so as to have a hit at something; for he hadn’t done me any harm. But then I thought after all it was stupid. I’d no objection to kick the bucket; it would be a pleasant change anyhow to sitting in prison all one’s life. But then you’d want to do something first that would make a stir. That’s what I feel!”

They walked on at a good pace, their faces turned in the direction of the smoky mist of the town far ahead, Ferdinand chewing his quid and spitting incessantly. His hardened, bulldog face with its bloodshot eyes was entirely without expression now that he was silent.

A peasant lad came toward them, singing at the top of his voice. He must have been about twelve or fourteen years of age.

“What are you so happy about, boy?” asked Ferdinand, stopping him.

“I took a heifer into the town, and I got two krones for the job,” answered the boy, smiling all over his face.

“You must have been up early then,” said Pelle.

“Yes, I left home at three last night. But now I’ve earned a day’s wages, and can take it easy the rest of the day!” answered the boy, throwing the two-krone piece into the air and catching it again.

“Take care you don’t lose it,” said Ferdinand, following the coin with covetous eyes.

The boy laughed merrily.

“Let’s see whether it’s a good one. They’re a fearful lot of thieves on the market in there.”

The boy handed him the coin. “Ah, yes, it’s one of those that you can break in half and make two of,” said Ferdinand, doing a few juggling tricks with it. “I suppose I may keep one?” His expression had become lively and he winked maliciously at Pelle as he stood playing with the coin so that it appeared to be two. “There you are; that’s yours,” he said, pressing the piece of money firmly into the boy’s hand. “Take good care of it, so that you don’t get a scolding from your mother.”

The boy opened his empty hand in wonderment. “Give me my two-krone!” he said, smiling uncertainly.

“What the devil⁠—I’ve given it you once!” said Ferdinand, pushing the boy aside roughly and beginning to walk on.

The boy followed him and begged persistently for his money. Then he began to cry.

“Give him his money!” said Pelle crossly. “It’s not amusing now.”

“Amusing?” exclaimed Ferdinand, stopping abruptly and gazing at him in amazement. “Do you think I play for small sums? What do I care about the boy! He may take