During this long speech of Joggeli’s, which he fortunately delivered inside his four walls, as otherwise it might easily have brought down upon him an action for high treason, his wife kept constantly saying to Johannes and especially to Uli, “Take some more, won’t you, that’s what it’s for; or don’t you like it?  We give what we’ve got—­it’s bad enough; but at least we don’t grudge it to you. (Joggeli, do fill up the glasses; look, they’re empty.) Drink, won’t you, there’s more where that came from.  Our son gave us the wine; they say it’s good; he bought it himself down in Italy; it actually cost fivepence halfpenny the quart, and not too full a quart at that.”  When Uli did not wish to take any more the old woman still kept putting food before him, stuck the fork into the largest pieces and then thrust them off on his plate with her thumb, saying, “Ho, you’re a fine fellow if you can’t get that down too; such a big lad must eat if he wants to keep his strength, and we’re glad to give it to him; whoever wants to work has got to eat.  Take some more, do.”

But at last Uli really could eat nothing more, took up his cap, prayed, and stood up to go.  “Stay awhile,” said Joggeli; “where are you going?  They’ll look after your Blazer, I gave ’em strict orders.”

“Oh, I’d like to go out and look around a bit and see how I like it,” said Uli.

“Go then; but come back when you get cold; you’re not to work today, do you hear,” said the mother.

“He’ll have something to live through,” said Joggeli, “they hate like poison to have him come, and I think the carter would have liked to be overseer.  But I don’t care if they are against each other.  It’s never good to have the servants on too good terms; it always comes out of the master.”

“Ho,” said Johannes, “that’s as you take it.  If the servants are on one side and the master on the other, then he has a hard time and can’t do anything.  But when the servants are all against each other, and each one does his best to vex the others, and one won’t help another—­that’s bad for the master too; for after all in the end everything hits the master and his interests.  I think it’s a true saying that peace prospers, discord destroys.  I don’t just like it here.  Nobody came to take the horse; nobody wanted to help Uli with his box; each one does as he likes, and they don’t fear anybody.  Cousin, that won’t be good.  I must tell you, Uli won’t stay here under those conditions.  If he’s to be overseer and have the responsibility, he wants order too; he won’t let ’em all do as they please.  Then there’ll be a fuss; it will all come back on him, and if you don’t back him up he’ll run off.  Let me say frankly:  I told him that if he couldn’t stand it here any longer, he was to come back to me, that I’d always have room for him.  We’re sorry enough to lose him, and the wife cried when I went off with him, as if it was her own child.”

That seemed very lovely to the old mother and she wiped her own eyes just from hearing about it, and said, “Have no fear, Cousin Johannes, he shan’t have a hard time with us; we know how to look after him, too.  I am sure that if we’ve only found some one at last that we can trust and that takes an interest in things, no pay will seem too high.”