"No—we had better go down right away. We shall have to defend ourselves from Soren, the mason."
"Yes, perhaps he will say that we set the waterfall on his pigs on purpose."
When we got home, there stood Father on the door-steps and Soren, the mason, down in the yard.
Oh! how Soren looked! He was wringing his hands and crying and threatening. Father had a deep wrinkle between his eyes. That's always a sign that he is angry.
"What is this I hear? Have you drowned two young pigs of Soren's?"
"The waterfall went into his pig-pen instead of over our ground," whimpered Karsten.
"Explain how it happened," said Father to me; and I explained the whole of it exactly as it was. I tell you it was lucky for us that we had come down from the hilltop!
"Here are ten crowns to pay for your little pigs, Soren," said Father, "and I hope that will make it all right between us."
But for Karsten and me it wasn't all right by any means—for I had to break open my savings-bank and pay Father back for the pigs. And I had been saving ever since Christmas and had over seven crowns in it. Ugh! it is horrid that young pigs are such tender little creatures! And all that afternoon I was kept under arrest up in the trunk-room on account of the waterfall disaster.
Karsten got a whipping. He had to give up his savings, too, but there were only fifteen öre in his bank, for Karsten shakes the money out of the slit of his savings-bank almost as soon as he has put it in.