the loft sobbing in his sleep. In the daytime he took up as little room
as he could at the table, and ate as little as humanly possible; but
every morning he woke up in fear that to-day--to-day he would have to
bid the old foster-mother farewell and go out among strangers.

Then something new and unheard of plumped down into the little cottage
by the fjord.

There came a registered letter with great dabs of sealing-wax all over
it, and a handwriting so gentlemanly as to be almost unreadable. Every
one crowded round the eldest son to see it opened--and out fell five
ten-crown notes. "Mercy on us!" they cried in amazement, and "Can it
be for us?" The next thing was to puzzle out what was written in the
letter. And who should that turn out to be from but--no other than
Peer's father, though he did not say it in so many words. "Be good to
the boy," the letter said. "You will receive fifty crowns from me every
half-year. See that he gets plenty to eat and goes dry and well shod.
Faithfully your, P. Holm, Captain."

"Why, Peer--he's--he's--Your father's a captain, an officer," stammered
the eldest girl, and fell back a step to stare at the boy.

"And we're to get twice as much for him as before," said the son,
holding the notes fast and gazing up at the ceiling, as if he were
informing Heaven of the fact.

But the old wife was thinking of something else as she folded her hands
in thankfulness--now she needn't lose the boy.

"Properly fed!" No need to fear for that. Peer had treacle with his