twigs. I stood and looked on. He did not hear me, and he had no
time to look up. I tried to retain my anger by force. But what
could I do? I could not fly at him while he was busy with the peas.
My time will come afterwards, I thought.

"But then he started up, struck himself on the forehead and rushed
away to the hotbed. He lifted the glass and looked in, and I looked
too, for he seemed to be in the depths of despair. Yes, it was
dreadful, of course. He had forgotten to shade it from the sun, and
it must have been terribly hot under the glass. The cucumbers lay
there half-dead and gasped for breath; some of the leaves were
burnt, and others were drooping. I was so overcome, I too, that I
never thought what I was doing, and Halfvorson caught sight of my
shadow. 'Look here, take the watering-pot that is standing in the
asparagus bed and run down to the river for water,' he said,
without looking up. I suppose he thought it was the gardener's boy.
And I ran."

"Did you, Petter Nord?"

"Yes; you see, the cucumbers ought not to suffer on account of our
enmity. I thought myself that it showed lack of character and so
on, but I could not help it. I wanted to see if they would come to
life. When I came back, he had lifted the glass off and still stood
and stared despairingly. I thrust the watering-pot into his hand,
and he began to pour over them. Yes, it was almost visible what
good it did in the hotbed. I thought almost that they raised
themselves, and he must have thought so too, for he began to laugh.
Then I ran away."