He understood much better than a human being, the merchant used to say.

Besides the people of the house, there sat at the breakfast-table an
old enemy of Trofast's--the only one he had. But be it said that Cand.
jur. [Footnote: Graduate in law.] Viggo Hansen was the enemy of a
great deal in this world, and his snappish tongue was well known all
over Copenhagen. Having been a friend of the family for many years, he
affected an especial frankness in this house, and when he was in a
querulous mood (which was always the case) he wreaked his bitterness
unsparingly upon anything or anybody.

In particular, he was always attacking Trofast.

'That big yellow beast,' he used to say, 'is being petted and pampered
and stuffed with steak and cutlets, while many a human child must bite
its fingers after a piece of dry bread.'

This, however, was a tender point, of which Dr. Hansen had to be rather
careful.

Whenever anyone mentioned Trofast in words that were not full of
admiration, he received a simultaneous look from the whole family, and
the merchant had even said point-blank to Dr. Hansen that he might one
day get seriously angry if the other would not refer to Trofast in a
becoming manner.

But Miss Thyra positively hated Dr. Hansen for this; and although
Waldemar was now grown up--a student, at any rate--he took a special
pleasure in stealing the gloves out of the doctor's back pocket, and