“Who knows? But it is difficult. The eyes are not bad, you have the right expression. But the nose—no it has not the correct shape. But, of course, it may grow and curve in time,” said Old Hans.
After that Viggo learned to drill and march from his old friend; but he often looked in the mirror and wished with all his heart that the nose would curve a little more.
ALLARM, THE DOG
One afternoon Viggo was walking home from school with a bag of books on his back. He marched straight as a stick, with a soldiery step. Old Hans was standing outside the cottage waiting for him, and when Viggo halted and saluted, the old man asked if he could guess what present there was for him at the house.
“How does it look?” asked Viggo.
“It is brown,” said Hans. “Now guess.”
“Oh, I suppose it is nothing but a lump of brown sugar from Aunt Beate,” said Viggo.
“Try again!” said Hans, and grinned. “It is dark brown, it walks on four feet and laps milk.”
“Is it the puppy the Captain has promised me? Is it?” cried Viggo, and forgot all about standing straight and stiff before the Grenadier.
“Right about! Of course that’s what it is,” said Hans the Grenadier.