across the yard, the dairymaid would be saved as much as the kitchen-maids
in the house. But it would cost nearly twice as much. No, it was not wise
to put forward so great a scheme.

Even as it was, I had to agree to wait till Grindhusen came back. The
priest said he wanted to sleep on it.




VII


So now I had to tell Grindhusen myself, and prepare him for the new
arrangement. And lest he should turn suspicious, I threw all the blame on
the priest, saying it was his idea, but that I had backed him up.
Grindhusen had no objection; he saw at once it meant more work for us
since we should have the well to dig in any case, and the bed for the
pipes besides.

As luck would have it, the priest came out on Monday morning, and said to
Grindhusen half jestingly:

"Your mate here and I have decided to have the well up on the hill, and
lay down a pipe-line to the house. What do you think of it? A mad idea?"

Grindhusen thought it was a first-rate idea.

But when we came to talk it over, and went up all three to look at the
site of the well, Grindhusen began to suspect I'd had more to do with it