The young man stood up straight in front of his father and marveled at his talking; he had never heard him speak like that. “Yes, God knows,” he said, “no doubt he is stupid, but his daughter Elke, she can calculate!”
The old man looked at him sharply.
“Hallo, Hauke,” he exclaimed “what do you know about Elke Volkerts?”
“Nothing, father; only the schoolmaster has told me?”
The old man made no reply; he only pushed his piece of tobacco thoughtfully from one cheek into the other. “And you think,” he said, “that you can help in the counting there too.”
“Oh, yes, father, that would work all right,” the son replied, and there was a serious twitching about his mouth.
The old man shook his head: “Well, go if you like; go and try your luck!”
“Thanks, father!” said Hauke, and climbed up to h
