Tales from the Fjeld Part 47

"'I said it all as you bade me, mother,' said Matt.

"'And what was that?' asked his mother.

"'G.o.d's Peace,' said Matt.

"'And pray whom did you meet?'

"'A she wolf with seven cubs; that was all I met,' said Matt.

"'Ay! ay! You are like yourself,' said his mother. 'So it was, and so it will ever be. Why in the world did you say "G.o.d's Peace" to a wolf. You should have clapped your hands and said--"Huf! huf! you jade of a she-wolf!" That's what you ought to have said.'

"'Well! well! be still, mother,' he said. 'I'll be sure to say so another time;' and with that he strode off from the farm, and when he had gone a bit on the way, he met a bridal train. So he stood still when he had got well up to the bride and bridegroom, and clapped his hands and said: 'Huf! huf! you jade of a she-wolf!' After that he went home to his mother and said--

"'I did as you bade me mother; but I got a good thrashing for it, that I did.'

"'What was it you did?' she asked.

"'Oh! I clapped my hands and called out, "Huf! huf! you jade of a she-wolf!"'

"'And what was it you met?'

"'I met a bridal train.'

"'Ah! you are a fool, and always will be a fool,' said his mother. 'Why should you say such things to a bridal train. You should have said, "Ride happily, bride and bridegroom."'

"'Well! well! See if I don't say so next time,' said the lad, and off he went again.

"So he met a bear, who was taking a ride on a horse, and Matt waited till he came alongside him, and then he said 'A happy ride to you, bride and bridegroom,' and then he went back to his mother and told her how he had said what she bade him.

"'And pray! what was it you said?' she asked.

"'I said, 'A happy ride to you both, bride and bridegroom.'

"'And whom did you meet?'

"'I met a bear taking a ride on a horse,' said Matt.

"'My goodness! what a fool you are,' said his mother. 'You ought to have said, "To the de'il with you." That's what you ought to have said.'

"'Well! well! mother. I'll be sure to say so next time.'

"So he set off again, and this time he met a funeral; and when he had come well up to the coffin, he greeted it and said, 'To the de'il with you!' and then he ran home to his mother, and told her he had said what she bade him.

"'And what was that?' she asked.

"'Oh! I said, 'To the de'il with you."'

"'And what was it you met?'

"'I met a funeral,' said Matt; 'but I got more kicks than halfpence!'

"'You didn't get half enough,' said the goody. 'Why, of course, you ought to have said, "May your poor soul have mercy." That's what you ought to have said.'

"Ay! ay! mother! so I will next time, only be still,' said Matt, and off he went again.

"So when he had gone a bit of the way he fell on two ugly gipsies who were skinning a dog. So when he came up to them he greeted them and said, 'May your poor soul have mercy,' and when he had said so he went home and told his mother he had said what she bade him; but all he got was such a drubbing he could scarce drag one leg after the other.

"'But what was it you said?' asked the goody.

"'May your poor soul have mercy; that was what I said.'

"'And whom did you meet?'

"'A pair of gipsies skinning a dog,' he said.

"'Well! well!' said the goody. 'There's no hope of your changing. You'll always be a shame and sorrow to us wherever you go. I never heard such shocking words. But now, you must set out and take no notice of any one you meet, for you must be off to woo a wife, and see if you can get some one who knows more of the ways of the world and has a better head on her shoulders than yours. And now you must behave like other folk, and if all goes well you may bless your stars, and bawl out, Hurrah!'

"Yes, the lad did all that his mother bade him. He set off and wooed a la.s.s, and she thought he couldn't be so bad a fellow after all; and so she said, 'Yes, she would have him.'

"When the lad got home the goody wanted to know what his sweetheart's name was; but he did not know. So the goody got angry and said, he must just set off again, for she would know what the girl's name was. So when Matt was going home again he had sense enough to ask her what she was called. 'Well,' she said, 'my name is Solvy; but I thought you knew it already.'

"So Matt ran off home, and as he went he mumbled to himself,

"'Solvy, Solvy, Is my darling!

Solvy, Solvy, Is my darling?'

"But just as he was running as hard as he could to reach home before he forgot it, he tripped over a tuft of gra.s.s, and forgot the name again.

So when he got on his feet again he began to search all round the hillock, but all he could find was a spade. So he seized it and began to dig and search as hard as he could, and as he was hard at it up came an old man.

"'What are you digging for?' said the man. 'Have you lost anything here?'

"'Oh yes! oh yes! I have lost my sweetheart's name, and I can't find it again.'

"'I think her name is Solvy,' said the man.

"'Oh yes, that's it,' said Matt, and away he ran with the spade in his hand, bawling out,

"'Solvy, Solvy, Is my darling!'

"But when he had gone a little way he called to mind that he had taken the spade, and so he threw it behind him, right on to the man's leg.

Then the man began to roar and bemoan himself as though he had a knife stuck in him, and then Matt forgot the name again, and ran home as fast as he could, and when he got there, the first thing his mother asked was--

"'What's your sweetheart's name?'

"But Matt was just as wise as when he set out, for he did not know the name any better the last than the first time.

"'You are the same big fool, that you are,' said the goody. 'You won't do any better this time either. But now I'll just set off myself and fetch the girl home, and get you married. Meanwhile you must fetch water up to the fifth plank all round the room, and wash it, and then you must take a little fat and a little lean, and the greenest thing you can find in the cabbage garden, and boil them all up together; and when you have done that you must put yourself into fine feather, and look smart when your la.s.sie comes, and then you may sit down on the dresser.'