Isak could see that Brede had been spending the evening with the telegraph gangs, the last night before they went; he was somewhat the worse for it, maybe, but friendly and good-humoured enough. He boasted a little, as was his way: hadn't the time really to bother with this telegraphic work, the farm took all of a man's day--but he couldn't very well say no when the engineer was so anxious to have him. And so it had come about, too, that Brede had had to take over the job of line inspector. Not for the sake of the money, of course, he could earn many times that down in the village, but he hadn't liked to refuse. And they'd given him a neat little machine set up on the wall, a curious little thing, a sort of telegraph in itself. Ay, Brede was a wastrel and a boaster, but for all that Isak could bear him no grudge; he himself was too relieved at finding his neighbour in the house that evening instead of a stranger. Isak had the peasant's coolness of mind, his few feelings, stability, stubbornness; he chatted with Brede and nodded at his shallowness. "Another cup for Brede," said he. And Inger poured it out. Inger talked of the engineer; a kindly man he was beyond measure; had looked at the boys' drawings and writings, and even said something about taking Eleseus to work under him. "To work with him?" said Isak. "Ay, to the town. To do writing and things, be a clerk in the office--all for he was so pleased with the boy's writing and drawing." "Ho!" said Isak. "Well, and what do you say? He was going to have him confirmed too. That was a great thing, to my mind." "Ay, a great thing indeed," said Brede. "And when the engineer says he'll do a thing, he'll do it. I know him, and you can take my word for that." "We've no Eleseus to spare on this farm as I know of," said Isak. There was something like a painful silence after that. Isak was not an easy man to talk to. "But when the boy himself wants to get on," said Inger at last, "and has it in him, too." Silence again. Then said Brede with a laugh: "I wish he'd ask for one of mine, anyway. I've enough of them and to spare. But Barbro's the eldest, and she's a girl." "And a good girl enough," said Inger, for politeness' sake. "Ay, I'll not say no," said Brede. "Barbro's well enough, and clever at this and that--she's going to help at the Lensmand's now." "Going to the Lensmand's?" "Well, I had to let her go--his wife was so set on it, I couldn't say no." It was well on towards morning now, and Brede rose to go. "I've a bundle and a cap I left in your barn," he said. "That is if the men haven't run off with it," he added jestingly. Chapter XIV And time went on.