Ⅳ
A good many thoughts went through littlePeer's head．And one Sunday， when he was dressed in his bestclothes， he went out without saying a word about it to hismother or hisgrandmother， not even to Miss Frandsen， who always gave him good advice； he wentstraight to the or－chestra conductor； he thought this man was the most impor－tant one there was outside the ballet． Cheerfully hestepped in and said，"I am at the dancing school， but there is so much jealousy there，and soI would rather be a player or a singer， if you wouldhelp me， please．"
"Have you a voice？"asked the conductor， and looked quite pleasantly at him．"Seemsto me I know you． Where have I seen you before？ Wasn't it you who was ripped down the back？"And now he laughed． But Peer grew red；he was surely no longer Lucky Peer， as hisgrandmother had called him．He looked down at his feetand wished he were far away．
"Sing me a song！"said the conductor．"Come now，cheer up， my boy！"And he tapped him under thechin，and Peer looked up into his kind eyes and sang asong， "Mercy for Me，"whichhe had heard at the theater，in the opera Robert leDiable．
"That is a difficult song，but you did it pretty well，"
said the conductor．"You have an excellent voice—as long as it doesn't rip in the back！"Andhe laughed and calledhis wife． She also had to hearPeer sing， and she nodded her head and said somethingin a foreign tongue．Just at that moment the singing masterof the theater came in；itwas really to him Peer shouldhave gone if he wanted to be a singer； now the singingmaster came to him，quite acci－dentally， as it were； he alsoheard him sing"Mercy for Me，" but he did notlaugh， and he did not look so kindlyat him as theconductor and his wife； still it was decided that Peershould have singing lessons．
"Now he is on the right track，"said MissFrandsen．
"One gets much farther with a voice than with legs． If I had had a voice， I would have been agreat songstress andwould perhaps have been a baroness by now．"
"Or a bookbinder's wife，" said Mother．"Had you become rich， you surely wouldhave taken the book－ binder．"
We do not understand that hint， but Miss Frandsendid．
Peer had to sing for her and sing for the merchant's family， when they heard of his new career． He wascalledin one evening wnen they had company downstairs，ana hesang several songs， among them"Mercy for Me．"All the company clapped their hands，andFelix did，too；he had heard himsing before； in the stable Peer had sung the en－tire ballet of Samson， and that was the mostdelightful of all．
"One cannot sing a ballet，"said the lady．
"Yes， Peer can，"saidFelix， and so they asked him to do it． He sang， and he talked； he drummed and hehummed；it was child's play，but fragments of well－known melodies cameforth which really illustrated what the ballet was about． All the company found it very entertaining；theylaughed and praised it， one louder than another．
The merchant's wife gave Peer a huge piece of cake and a silver dollar．
How lucky the boy felt， until he discovered a gen－tleman who stood somewhat in the background，and wholooked sternly at him． There was something harshand se－ vere in the man's black eyes； he did not laugh；he didnot speak a singlefriendly word； this gentleman was the singing masterfrom the theater．
Next forenoon， Peer went to him， and he stoodthere quite as severe－lookingas before．
"What was the matter with you yesterday！"hesaid．
"Could you not understand that they were making a fool of you？Never do that again，and don't you go runningabout and singing at doors， either inside or outside． Nowyou can go．I won't give you any singinglesson today．"
When Peer left，he was dreadfully downcast； he had fallen out of the master's good graces． On the contrary，the master was really moresatisfied with him than ever before． In all theabsurdity which he had seen him per－ form， there was really some meaning， somethingquite unusual． The boy had an ear for music， and a voice asclear as a bell and of great compass； if it continued likethat， then the littlefellow's fortune was made．
Now began the singing lessons．Peer was industrious andPeer was clever． How much there was to learn， howmuch to know！ The mother toiled andslaved to make an honest living， so that her son mightbe well dressed and neat and not look too shabby among the people to whom henow was invited． He was always singing and jubilant；
they had no need at all of a canary bird， the mothersaid．Every Sunday he had to sing a psalm with his grandmoth－ er． It was delightful to hear his freshvoice lift itself upwith hers．"It is much morebeautiful than to hear him sing wildly！"That'swhat she called his singing when， like a little bird， his voice jubilantly gave forth with tonesthat seemed to come ofthemselves and make such music as they pleased． Whattones there were in his little throat， what wonderfulsounds in his little breast！ In－ deed， he could imitate a whole orchestra． There wereboth flute and bassoon in his voice， and there were violinand bugle． He sang asthe birds sing； but man's voice is much more charming， even a little man's， when he cansing likePeer．
But in the winter， just as he was to go to the pastorto be prepared for confirmation， he caught cold； the littlebird in his breast said， pip！ The voice was ripped like thevampire's back－piece．
"It is no great misfortune，after all，"thought Moth－ er and Grandmother．"Now he doesn't go singing， tra－la， so he can think more seriously about hisreligion．"
His voice was changing， the singing master said．Peer must not sing at all now． How longwould it be？ Ayear， perhaps two； perhaps the voice would never comeagain．Thatwas a great grief．
"Think only of your confirmation now，"saidMother and Grandmother．"Practice your music，"said the singing master，"but keepyour mouth shut．"
He thought of his religion，and he studied his mu－ sic；it sang and resounded within him． He wrote entire melodies down in notes，songs without words． Finally he wrote the words， too．
"You ale a poet，too，littlePeer，"said the mer－chant's wife， to whom he carried his text and music．Themerchant received a piece of music dedicated to him， a piece without words．Felix got one， too； and，yes， MissFrandsen also did，and that went intoher scrapbook，in which were verses and music by two whowere once young lieutenants but now were old majors on half pay； the book had been given by"a friend，"whohad bound it himself．
And Peer was confirmed at Easter．Felix presented himwith a silver watch． It was the first watch Peer hadowned； he felt that this made him a man， for now he didnot have to ask others what time it was．Felix came up to the garret， congratulatedhim， and handed him thewatch；he himself was not to be confirmed until the au－ tumn． They took each other by the hand，these twochil- dren of the house，both the same age，born the same day and in the same house．AndFelix ate a piece of the cake that had been baked in the garret for theoccasion of the confirmation．
"It is a happy day with solemn thoughts，"saidGrandmother．
"Yes，very solemn！"saidMother．"If only Father had lived to see Peer today！"
The following Sunday all three of them went to Com－munion． When they came home from church they found a message from thesinging master， asking Peer to come tosee him； and Peer went． Some good news awaited him，and yet it was serious， too． While he must give up singingfor a year，and his voice must lie fallow like a field， as apeasantmight say，during that time he was to furtherhiseducation，not in the capital， where every evening he wouldbe running to the theater， from which he could not keepaway， but hewas to go one hundred and twenty miles fromhome， toboard with a schoolmaster who boarded a coupleof other young men． There he was to learn language andscience，which someday would be useful to him， The charge for ayear's coirse was three hundred dollars， andthat waspaid by a"benefactor who does not wish hisname to be known．"
"It is the merchant，"said Mother andGrandmother．
The day of departure came．A good many tears were shed， and kisses and blessings given； and thenPeer rodethe hundred and twenty miles on the railway，out into thewide world． It was Whitsuntide． The sun shone， and thewoods were fresh andgreen； the train went rushing through them；new fields and villages were continually coming into view； country manors peeped out； the cattle stoodin the pastures． Now they passed a station， then another，and market town after markettown．At each stopping place there was a crowd of people， welcoming or saying good－by； there was noisy talking， outside and inthecarriages．Where Peer sat there was a lot of entertain－ ment and chattering by a widow dressed in black． She talked about his grave， his coffin，and his corpse—mean－ing her child's． It had been such a poor little thingthatthere could have been no happiness for it had it lived． It had been a great relief for her and the little lamb when it hadfallen asleep．
"I spared no expense on flowers on that occasion！"
she said；"and you must remember that it died at averyexpensive time， when the flowers had to be cut frompot－ted plants！ Every Sunday Iwent to my grave and laid a wreath on it with great white silk bows； the silk bows were immediately stolen by some little girls and usedfor dancing bows； they were so tempting！One Sunday I wentthere， and I knew that mygrave was on the left of themain path， but when I gotthere， there was my grave onthe right．'How is this？' says I to the gravedigger．'Isn't my grave on the left？'
"'No，it isn't any longer！'thegravedigger an－ swered．'Madam'sgrave lies there all right，but the mound has been movedover to the right； that placebelongs to another man'sgrave．'
"'But I want my corpse in my grave，'says I，'andI have a perfect right to say so．Shall Igo and decorate a false mound， when my corpse lieswithout any sign on theother side？Indeed I won't！'
"'Then Madam must talk to the dean．'
"He is such a good man， that dean！ He gave me per－ mission to have my corpseon the right．It would cost five dollars． I gave that with a kiss of my hand and walked back to my old grave．'Can I now be very sure that it is my own coffin and my corpse thatis moved？'
"'That Madam can！' And so I gave each of the men acoin for the moving． But now，since it had cost so much，I thought I should spendsomething to make it beautiful， and so I ordered amonument with an inscription． But—
will you believe it—when I got it， there was a gilded but－ terfly painted atthe top．'Why， that meansFrivolity，'
said I．'I won't have that on my glave．'
"'It is not Frivolity， Madam； it is Immortality．'
"' I never heard that，' said I．Now， have any of youhere in the carriageever heard of a butterfly as a sign for anything but Frivolity？ I kept quiet． I don't like long con－versations． I composed myself， and put the monument away in my pantry．Thereit stood till my lodger came home．He is a student andhaa so many， many books． Heassured methat it really stood for Immortality，and sothe monument was placed on the grave．"
And during all the chatter， Peer arrived at the stationof the town where he was to live， and become just aswiseas the student， and have just as many books．
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