“Yes, and another place in Freiburg with twice as many cows as here and grass enough to fill the barn to the top.”
The furrow in Vinzenz Lesa’s brow grew deeper while he spoke as if worse things yet were coming.
“I get twelve cheeses a year from the milk.”
“I see no reason for you to despair, Vinzenz,” said the other with laughing eyes. “I never knew that the other place belonged to you as well. So you have two fine properties. Well, I can’t help wondering about you. Our Lord has heaped you with blessings, and you show a face as if you had nothing but storms to battle.”
“It is easy for you to talk,” said Vinzenz grimly. “You have three fine, strong boys, fit for work. But look at me! After all the work I have done here, I shall have to see it go to pieces. I can’t be in two places at once, and my son won’t open his eyes and see the fine life that lies before him. Hundreds might envy him. When I inherited this place, I left my father’s home, where every tree seemed like a comrade and every piece of livestock had grown up under my very eyes. You can believe me that I hated to go. But you have no idea how run down and neglected this place was, and I knew that no stranger would undertake to look after it. I said to myself that I would do it for my boy; in a few years he would be old enough to manage it himself and then I could go home again. I even brought the property up more quickly than I expected to. Don’t you yourself say that it looks like a blooming garden from one end to the other? Shall I let it run down again or shall I let my other place go to such ruin that one can’t recognize it any longer? Tell me what you think? Don’t you think I have good cause to worry, and do you wonder I don’t sing and whistle? You can see now how I stand!”
“It is not half so bad as you think,” retorted Lorenz with a cheerful face. “You have a boy who is sure to amount to something fine one day. But you don’t only have a boy, you have a daughter besides, who is sure to bring you nothing but pleasure. Let six or seven years pass. You are an active man and can easily keep up both estates till then. By that time you can give over this place here to your girl. She’ll know how to look after it, and you can go back home once more. I shouldn’t wonder if somebody would turn up by then who would gladly share the work and responsibility with her. Your place will be in good hands then.”
Lorenz was walking on but stopped once more.
“I nearly forgot to ask you the most important question,” he said. “What do you want to do with Jos? Do you wish to keep him, or would you rather be left by yourself? He is not slow to learn.”
“I can see that,” remarked Vinzenz. “You’ll probably miss him, and I feel in your debt already, for Vinzi was no help to you in anything.”
Lorenz eagerly remonstrated. Vinzenz should just hear his wife on the subject and she would tell him something else. She herself had suggested bringing Jos to them. She had never wanted any of her boys to go away, but since Vinzi had been with them, she thought that Jos would learn only good things in such a household. She also maintained that gratitude had to be shown for leaving Vinzi with them so long, besides having the hope that Vinzi might return if Jos stayed with them for a while and was able to serve them likewise.