Page:The grandmother; a story of country life in Bohemia.pdf/255

Rh will be great lamentations, and Milo's heart is beginning to fail him," said the miller's wife.

"That is the way it generally goes when a person is well favored," said the miller, half closing his eyes as he spoke. "If that were not the case with Milo, he never would be taken into the army; but that deuced jealousy of Lucie and the spite of the steward's daughter have settled it for him."

"Will not his father help him?" asked Grandmother. "Milo had hoped so, when last Christmas the steward refused to give him work at the manor."

"We heard," began one of the farmers, "that Old Milo would gladly devote one or two hundred guilders to that purpose,"

"Two hundred! my dear sir, that isn't enough," said the miller; "their farm is not large, and there are several more children. The only way I see out of the difficulty is for him to marry Lucie, but there's no disputing of tastes. I know that if he still has the choice, he will prefer to be a soldier rather than marry the daughter of our squire."

"Well, one evil is as great as the other," said one of the farmers with a shake of his head. "Whoever gets Lucie need never say: 'Lord, chastise me!' he will be chastised enough."

"I am very sorry for Christina," said Grandmother; "how that girl will take on!"

"Never mind the girl," said the miller with half closed eyes; "she will weep a while and groan and sigh, and that's all; but poor Milo, he will suffer worse."

"There is no doubt of it. He who doesn't like to be a soldier, finds it very hard; but he must get accustomed to it as to everything else. I know by