"What is it?" asked Moni.

"Drive a stick firmly into the ground and fasten the goat by the leg to
it; she will kick furiously, but she can't get away."

"You needn't think I would do any such thing to the little kid!" said
Moni quite angrily and drew Maggerli to him and held her fast, as if to
protect her from any such treatment.

"You really won't have to take care of that one much longer," began
Jorgli again. "It won't come up here many times more."

"What? What? What did you say, Jorgli?" demanded Moni.

"Bah, don't you know about it? The landlord will not raise her, she is
too weak; there never was a more feeble goat. He wanted to sell her to
my father, but he wouldn't have her either; now the landlord is going to
have her killed next week, and then he will buy our spotted one."

Moni had become quite pale from terror. At first he couldn't speak a
word; but now he broke out and complained aloud over the little kid:

"No, no, that shall not be done, Maggerli, it shall not be done. They
shall not slay you, I can't bear that. Oh, I would rather die with you;
no, that cannot be!"

"Don't do so," said Jorgli, angrily, and pulled Moni up, for in his
grief he had thrown himself face down on the ground. "Stand up, you know
the kid really belongs to the landlord and he can do what he likes with