Edward knew quite well that even though it were Josephine who asked their father for money, he would never give it for any useless purpose; he always liked to know what it was wanted for. Therefore his father must approve of what Ole did, and that took away all doubt from Edward's mind. Ole could feel how entirely he changed his view of the matter; he could see it, too, in his eyes. He longed to tell him more about it all, and he did so. He explained how, often when he went there, there was hard work for him to do; he was obliged to light the fire and cook for them. "Can you cook?" "Of course I can, and clean up too, and buy all that is needed, and send a messenger rowing across to the apothecary; for the doctor may have written a prescription, but no one ever thinks of sending it over." "And have you time to do all this?" "Directly after dinner I finish work at the Schultzes, and I learn my own lessons at night." And he talked on, telling all there was to tell, until he, too, remembered that they ought to get down from the mountain before dark. Edward walked on in front, deep in thought; the other followed after with his box. There, on the slope of the hill, they could hear the roaring of the waves as if in the air; it was like the low murmur of a distant crowd, but high above their heads. They felt it getting very cold; the moon was up, but no stars were to be seen; yes, one solitary one peeped forth. "And what made you think of doing this?" asked Edward, turning round. Ole stood still too. He moved his box backward and forward from one hand to the other; should he make a bold venture and tell all? Edward understood at once that he had not heard everything, and that what remained to be told was the most important part of all. "Can't you tell me?" he asked, as though it was quite immaterial. "Yes, I think I can;" but he kept on changing his box from hand to hand without saying a word. Then Edward became impatient and began trying to persuade him, to which Ole had no objections, but still he hesitated. "Surely it is nothing wicked?" "No, it is not wicked." And he added, after a pause, "It is rather something grand, very grand and great." "Really something great?" "In reality the grandest thing in all the world." "But what can you mean?" "Well, then, if only you will not tell, not to a living soul--do you hear?--I might tell you." "What is it, Ole?" "I am going to be a missionary." "A missionary?" "Yes, a missionary among the heathen, the regular savages, don't you know, those who eat people." He saw that Edward was almost speechless; so he made haste to tell him all sorts of things about cyclones, raging wild beasts, and poisonous snakes. "You see one requires to be prepared for such things." "How prepared--for raging wild beasts and poisonous snakes?" Edward began to think everything possible.