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Young Farmer Rodel came in with his wife and asked the child, to tease her: "Have you brought us a wedding present? For if one eats so, one ought to bring a wedding present." The father-in-law, moved by an incomprehensible impulse of generosity, secretly slipped a sixpenny piece into the child's hand.
He drew a large leather bag out of his pocket, groped about in it for a long time, and said at last: "There, take this." "No, thank you I don't accept presents I'll take nothing." "Take it you can accept it from me all right. Is Farmer Rodel your guardian?" "Yes." "He might have done something better than make a goose-girl of you. Well, God keep you."
Coaly Mathew called out of his window to a young lad who was leading a fine colt away by a halter. "Farmer Rodel has sold it," was the reply; and presently the colt was heard neighing farther down the valley. Amrei, who had heard this, again reflected: "Yes, a creature like that can be sold away from its mother, and the mother hardly knows of it; and whoever pays for it, to him it belongs.
"Go up, Barefoot, and take your box away at once; for nothing belonging to you shall remain in my house!" commanded Farmer Rodel. "Very well," replied John; "but that can be done with less noise. Come, Barefoot, I'll go with you. But tell me what your real name is." "Amrei." "I was once to have married an Amrei she is the 'Butter Countess! you are my Salt Countess! Hurrah!
Farmer Rodel, in particular, who on this day was eating and drinking with double relish, snapped his fingers and whistled the waltz the musicians were playing, while Amrei went on dancing and seemed to know no weariness. When at last the music ceased, Farmer Rodel took Amrei by the hand and said: "You clever girl, who taught you to do that so well?" "Nobody." "Why don't you dance with any one?"
Only in the house of Farmer Rodel were they glad to have her, for the farmer was her guardian. His wife, who had always taken Amrei's part and who had one day promised to take her into her service when she was older, was prevented from carrying out this plan. She herself was taken by another Death.
"I'll keep that as an earnest from you," answered Amrei slyly; "you shall see, I will give you value for it." Farmer Rodel laughed to himself half angrily, and Amrei went back to Black Marianne with money, wine, and meat. The house was locked; and there was a great contrast between the loud music and noise and feasting at the wedding house, and the silence and solitude here.
The sky is cloudy now, and the hail is beating down upon me from all sides; but the sun will soon be shining again." The relatives of Farmer Rodel gave Barefoot a few garments that had belonged to the old man; she would have liked to refuse them, but realized that it would not do to show a spirit of obstinacy just now.
"These are your brother's clothes," said Farmer Rodel to the stranger; and the latter went on to say to Amrei: "As you see, these are your father's clothes. We shall take them with us, and you shall go too first to Fluorn, and then across the brook." Amrei, trembling, touched her father's coat and his blue-striped vest.
But, as might have been anticipated, he came back empty-handed; for the first thing Scheckennarre did was to ask how much Farmer Rodel himself was going to give, and when he heard that Rodel, for the present, was not going to give anything, his course, too, was clear and he followed it.
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