"Yes, only think of it! But that was not all, by a long way; the butt end came afterwards. Towards evening, I noticed one after another of the day-laborers going to the riding-stables, and as I knew that Krischan Däsel, our groom, had a pique against me, I thought, 'What can be going on there?' and I went into the stables, and there is a hole between the riding-stable and the other stables, and I could hear Krischan Däsel exciting the others."
"That is to say," interrupted Bräsig, "that you listened a little."
"Why, yes," replied Fritz.
"Very well," said Bräsig, "go ahead!"
"Well, I must tell you, Krischan Däsel is positively bent upon marrying Fika Degel, and has been betrothed to her several years, and the Herr will not have a married groom, for he thinks a married groom would care more for his own children than he would for the colts, which is all right enough, but he will not dismiss him, either, because he thinks he does well for the beasts; though for my part, I don't agree with him. And now Krischan Däsel has got it into his head, that if he can break up the raising of thorough-breds, and do away with the paddocks, the Herr will let him marry Fika Degel, and so he was stirring up the day-laborers to demand the paddocks for potato-land."
"Well, you ran directly to the Herr, and told him that?" inquired Bräsig.
"Of course," said Fritz, "he ought to know it beforehand, so as to be prepared for them. And when they came, and began about the paddocks and potato-land, and were of the opinion that their wives and children were just as good as the Herr's mares and foals, and ought to be cared for first, then he scolded them finely, and packed them off immediately. Krischan Däsel, of course, was paid up and sent off at once."
"Well, what does the gracious Frau say to all this?" asked Uncle Bräsig.
"Eh," said Fritz, shrugging his shoulders, "what shall I say? she says nothing to it. I don't know what has come over her. She used to greet me,--rather ceremoniously but still politely,--but now she never looks at me, ever since that stupid book-business with Marie Möller. She has been gone, this long time, and it is just as well, for she was an old goose; and now the gracious Frau attends to the housekeeping, herself, and, I must say, she is a good housekeeper, although she does'nt speak to me; and Korlin Kegel says she does it only to divert her mind from other thoughts, and she often sits down, and writes letters, but tears them all up, and sits with her hands in her lap, gazing at the little gracious Fräulein. 'It is a pity,' says Korlin Kegel. 'But the housekeeping goes on all right, and without any scolding and storming round; no, so it shall be, and so it is done. If she only had a friend or a companion,' says Korlin Kegel,--well it is none of my business,--and he has no friends either."
"But it is some of my business," cried Frau Nüssler, springing up, "and I will go and see her to-morrow, and you, Jochen, may as well go also and see that poor, foolish young man, and advise him for his good; such times as these should bring neighbors together.