At the end of January, Pelle obtained a place as laborer in the
“Denmark” machine works. He was badly paid, but Ellen rejoiced, none
the less; with nothing one could only cry—with a little one could grow
strong again. She was still a little pale after her confinement, but
she looked courageous. At the first word of work her head was seething
with comprehensive plans. She began at once to redeem various articles
and to pay off little debts; she planned out a whole system and carried
it out undeviatingly.
The new sister was something for Young Lasse; he understood immediately
that she was some one given to him in order to amuse him in his
loneliness.
During the confinement he had remained with his grandparents, so that
the stork should not carry him away when it came with his little sister
—for he was dear to them! But when he returned home she was lying
asleep in her cradle. He just touched her eyelids, to see if she had
eyes like his own. They snatched his fingers away, so he could not
solve the exciting problem that day.
But sister had eyes, great dark eyes, which followed him about the
room, past the head of the bed and round the other side, always with
the same attentive expression, while the round cheeks went out and in
like those of a sucking animal. And Young Lasse felt very distinctly
that one was under obligations when eyes followed one about like that.
He was quite a little man already, and he longed to be noticed; so he
ran about making himself big, and rolling over like a clown, and
playing the strong man with the footstool, while his sister followed
him with her eyes, without moving a muscle of her face. He felt that
she might have vouchsafed him a little applause, when he had given
himself so much trouble.
One day he inflated a paper bag and burst it before her face. That was
a help. Sister forgot her imperturbability, gave a jump, and began to
roar. He was smacked for that, but he had his compensation. Her little
face began to quiver directly he approached her, in order to show her
something; and she often began to roar before he had performed his
trick. “Go away from your sister Lasse Frederik!” said his mother. “You
are frightening her!”
But things were quite different only a month later. There was no one
who understood Young Lasse’s doings better than sister. If he did but
move his plump little body, or uttered a sound, she twittered like a
starling.
Ellen’s frozen expression had disappeared; now that she had something
to work at again. The cold had weaned her from many of her exactions,
and others were gratified by the children. The two little ones kept her
very busy; she did not miss Pelle now. She had become accustomed to his
being continually away from home, and she had taken possession of him
in her thoughts, in her own fashion; she held imaginary conversations
with him as she went about her work; and it was a joy to her to make
him comfortable during the short time that he was at home.
Pelle conceived his home as an intimate little world, in which he could
take shelter when he was weary. He had redeemed that obscure demand in
Ellen’s eyes—in the shape of two dear little creatures that gave her
plenty to do. Now it was her real self that advanced to meet him. And
there was a peculiar loyalty about her, that laid hold of his heart;
she no longer resented his small earnings, and she did not reproach him
because he was only a workman.
He had been obliged to resign his position as president of his Union on
account of his longer hours. There was no prospect at present of his
being able to return to his vocation; but the hard bodily labor agreed
with him.
In order to help out his small earnings, he busied himself with repairs
in the evenings. Ellen helped him, and they sat together and gossiped
over their work. They ignored the labor movement—it did not interest
Ellen, and he by no means objected to a brief rest from it. Young Lasse
sat at the table, drawing and putting in his word now and then. Often,
when Pelle brought out the work, Ellen had done the greater part of it
during the day, and had only left what she did not understand. In
return he devised little ways of pleasing her.
In the new year the winter was not so severe. Already in February the
first promise of spring was perceptible. One noticed it in Ellen.
“Shan’t we pack a picnic-basket and go out to one of the beer-gardens
on Sunday? It would do the children good to get into the air,” she
would say.
Pelle was very willing. But on Sunday there was a meeting of the party
leaders and a meeting concerning the affairs of the factory—he must be
present at both. And in the evening he had promised to speak before a
trade union.
“Then we’ll go out ourselves, the children and I!” said Ellen
peacefully. When they came home it seemed they had amused themselves
excellently; Pelle was no longer indispensable.
The hard winter was over at last. It was still freezing—especially at
night—but the people knew it was over in spite of that. And the ice in
the canals knew it also. It began to show fractures running in all
directions, and to drift out toward the sea. Even the houses gave one a
feeling of spring; they were brighter in hue; and the sun was shining
into the sky overhead; if one looked for it one could see it glowing
above the roofs. Down in the narrow lanes and the well-like courtyards
the children stamped about in the snowy slush and sang to the sun which
they could not see.
People began to recover from the long privations of the winter. The
cold might return at any moment; but all were united in their belief in
the spring. The starlings began to make their appearance, and the
moisture of the earth rose again to the surface and broke its way
through the hard crust, in dark patches; and business ventured to raise
its head. A peculiar universal will seemed to prevail in all things.
Down under the earth it sprouted amid frost and snow, and crept forth,
young, and seemingly brought forth by the cold itself; and in all
things frozen by winter the promise unfolded itself—in spite of all.
The workmen’s quarter of the city began to revive; now it was once more
of some use to go about looking for work. It did one good to get out
and walk in the daylight for a while. And it also did one good once
more to fill one’s belly every day and to fetch the household goods
home from the pawn-shop, and to air one’s self a little, until one’s
turn came round again.
But things did not go as well as they should have done. It looked as
though the cold had completely crippled the sources of commercial
activity. The spring came nearer; the sun rose higher every day, and
began to recover its power; but business showed no signs of real
recovery as yet; it did no more than supply what was needed from day to
day. There was no life in it, as there had been of old! At this time of
the year manufacturers were glad as a rule to increase their stocks, so
as to meet the demands of the summer; it was usual to make up for the
time lost during the winter; the workers would put forth their utmost
strength, and would work overtime.
Many anxious questions were asked. What was the matter? Why didn’t
things get going again? _The Working Man_ for the present offered no
explanation, but addressed a covert warning to certain people that they
had best not form an alliance with want.
Gradually the situation assumed more definite outlines; the employers
were making preparations of some kind, for which reason they did not
resume business with any great vigor. In spite of their privations
during the winter, the workers had once again returned some of their
own representatives to Parliament, and now they were getting ready to
strike a blow at the municipal elections. That was the thing to do now!
And in the forefront of the battle stood the ever-increasing
organization which now included all vocations and the whole country a
single body, and which claimed a decisive voice in the ordering of
conditions! The poor man was made to feel how little he could
accomplish without those who kept everything going!
In the meantime there were rumors that a lock-out was being prepared,
affecting every occupation, and intended to destroy the Federation at
one blow. But that was inconceivable. They had experienced only small
lock-outs, when there was disagreement about some particular point.
That any one could think of setting the winter’s distress in opposition
to the will of Nature, when every man was willing to work on the basis
of the current tariff—no, the idea was too fiendish!
But one distinction was being made. Men who had done any particular
work for the movement would find it more difficult to obtain
employment. They would be degraded, or simply replaced by others, when
they applied for their old places after the standstill of the winter.
Uncertainty prevailed, especially in those trades which had the longest
connection with the labor organization; one could not but perceive this
to be a consequence of combination. For that reason the feeling of
insecurity increased. Every one felt that the situation was unendurable
and untenable, and foresaw some malicious stroke. Especially in the
iron industry relations were extremely strained; the iron-founders were
always a hard-handed lot; it was there that one first saw what was
about to develop.
Pelle anxiously watched events. If a conflict were to occur just now,
it would mean a defeat of the workers, who were without supplies and
were stripped to the buff. With the winter had ceased even the small
chance of employment on the ramparts; it was obvious that an assault
would shatter their cohesion. He did not express his anxieties to them.
They were at bottom like little children; it would do no good for them
to suffer too great anxiety. But to the leaders he insisted that they
must contrive to avoid a conflict, even if it entailed concessions. For
the first time Pelle proposed a retreat!
One week followed another, and the tension increased, but nothing
happened. The employers were afraid of public opinion. The winter had
struck terrible blows; they dared not assume the responsibility for
declaring war.
In the “Denmark” machine-works the tension was of long standing. At the
time when the farmers were compelled, by the conditions of the world-
market, to give up the cultivation of cereals for dairy-farming, the
directors of the factory had perceived in advance that the future would
lie in that direction, and had begun to produce dairy machinery. The
factory succeeded in constructing a centrifugal separator which had a
great sale, and this new branch of industry absorbed an ever-increasing
body of workers. Hitherto the best-qualified men had been selected;
they were continually improving the manufacture, and the sales were
increasing both at home and abroad. The workers gradually became so
skilled in their specialty that the manufacturers found themselves
compelled to reduce their wages—otherwise they would have earned too
much. This had happened twice in the course of the years, and the
workers had received the hint that was necessary to meet competition in
foreign markets. But at the same time the centrifugal separators were
continually increasing in price, on account of the great demand for
them. The workers had regarded the lowering of their wages as something
inevitable, and took pains yet further to increase their skill, so that
their earnings had once more come to represent a good average wage.
Now, immediately after the winter slackness, there were rumors in
circulation that the manufacturers intended once more to decrease the
rate of pay. But this time the men had no intention of accommodating
themselves to the decrease. Their resentment against the
unrighteousness of this proceeding went to their heads; they were very
near demonstrating at the mere rumor. Pelle, however, succeeded in
persuading them that they were confronted by nothing more than foolish
gossip for which no one was responsible. Afterward, when their fear had
evaporated and all was again going as usual, they came to him and
thanked him.
But on the next pay-day there was a notice from the office to the
effect that the current rate of wages was not in accordance with the
times—it was to be improved. This sounded absolutely innocent, but
every one knew what lay behind it.
It was one of the first days of spring. The sun was shining into the
vast workshop, casting great shafts of light across it, and in the blue
haze pulleys and belts were revolving. The workers, as they stood at
their work, were whistling in time with the many wheels and the ringing
of metal. They were like a flock of birds, who have just landed on a
familiar coast and are getting the spring.
Pelle was carrying in some raw material when the news came and
extinguished all their joy. It was passed on a scrap of paper from man
to man, brief and callous. The managers of the factory wanted to have
nothing to do with the organization, but silently went behind it. All
had a period of fourteen days in which to subscribe to the new tariff.
“No arguments, if you please—sign, or go!” When the notice came to
Pelle all eyes were turned upon him as though they expected a signal;
tools were laid down, but the machinery ran idly for a time. Pelle read
the notice and then bent over his work again.
During the midday pause they crowded about him. “What now?” they asked;
and their eyes were fixed upon him, while their hands were trembling.
“Hadn’t we better pack up and go at once? This shearing will soon be
too much for us, if they do it every time a little wool has grown on
us.”
“Wait!” said Pelle. “Just wait! Let the other side do everything, and
let us see how far they will go. Behave as if nothing had happened, and
get on with your work. You have the responsibility of wives and
children!”
They grumblingly followed his advice, and went back to their work.
Pelle did not wonder at them; there had been a time when he too would
throw down his work if any one imposed on him, even if everything had
gone to the devil through it. But now he was responsible for many—which
was enough to make a man prudent. “Wait!” he told them over and over
again. “To-morrow we shall know more than we do to-day—it wants
thinking over before we deal with it!”
So they put the new tariff aside and went to work as though nothing had
happened. The management of the factory treated the matter as settled;
and the directors went about with a contented look. Pelle wondered at
his comrades’ behavior; after a few days they were in their usual
spirits, indulging in all kinds of pastimes during their meal-time.
As soon as the whistle sounded at noon the machinery stopped running,
and the workers all dropped their tools. A few quickly drew their coats
on, intending to go home for a mouthful of warm food, while some went
to the beer-cellars of the neighborhood. Those who lived far from their
homes sat on the lathe-beds and ate their food there. When the food was
consumed they gathered together in groups, gossiping, or chaffing one
another. Pelle often made use of the midday rest to run over to the
“Ark” in order to greet Father Lasse, who had obtained work in one of
the granaries and was now able to get along quite nicely.
One day at noon Pelle was standing in the midst of a group of men,
making a drawing of a conceited, arrogant foreman with a scrap of chalk
on a large iron plate. The drawing evoked much merriment. Some of his
comrades had in the meantime been disputing as to the elevating
machinery of a submarine. Pelle rapidly erased his caricature and
silently sketched an elevation of the machinery in question. He had so
often seen it when the vessel lay in the harbor at home. The others
were obliged to admit that he was right.
There was a sudden silence as one of the engineers passed through the
workshop. He caught sight of the drawing and asked whose work it was.
Pelle had to go to the office with him. The engineer asked him all
sorts of questions, and was amazed to learn that he had never had
lessons in drawing. “Perhaps we could make use of you upstairs here,”
he said. “Would you care for that?”
Pelle’s heart gave a sudden leap. This was luck, the real genuine good
fortune that seized upon its man and lifted him straightway into a
region of dazzling radiance! “Yes,” he stammered, “yes, thank you very
much!” His emotion was near choking him.
“Then come to-morrow at seven—to the drawing-office,” said the
engineer. “No, what’s to-day? Saturday. Then Monday morning.” And so
the affair was settled, without any beating about the bush! There was a
man after Pelle’s own heart!
When he went downstairs the men crowded about him, in order to hear the
result. “Now your fortune’s made!” they said; “they’ll put you to
machine-drawing now, and if you know your business you’ll get
independent work and become a constructor. That’s the way Director
Jeppesen got on; he started down here on the moulding-floor, and now
he’s a great man!” Their faces were beaming with delight in his good
fortune. He looked at them, and realized that they regarded him as
capable of anything.
He spent the rest of the day as in a dream, and hurried home to share
the news with Ellen. He was quite confused; there was a surging in his
ears, as in childhood, when life suddenly revealed one of its miracles
to him. Ellen flung her arms round his neck in her joy; she would not
let him go again, but held him fast gazing at him wonderingly, as in
the old days. “I’ve always known you were intended for something!” she
said, looking at him with pride. “There’s no one like you! And now,
only think. But the children, they must know too!” And she snatched
little sister from her sleep, and informed her what had happened. The
child began to cry.
“You are frightening her, you are so delighted,” said Pelle, who was
himself smiling all over his face.
“But now—now we shall mix with genteel people,” said Ellen suddenly, as
she was laying the table. “If only I can adapt myself to it! And the
children shall go to the middle-class school.”
When Pelle had eaten he was about to sit down to his cobbling. “No!”
said Ellen decidedly, taking the work away, “that’s no work for you any
longer!”
“But it must be finished,” said Pelle; “we can’t deliver half-finished
work!”
“I’ll soon finish it for you; you just put your best clothes on; you
look like a—”
“Like a working-man, eh?” said Pelle, smiling.
Pelle dressed himself and went off to the “Ark” to give Father Lasse
the news. Later he would meet the others at his father-in-law’s. Lasse
was at home, and was eating his supper. He had fried himself an egg
over the stove, and there was beer and brandy on the table. He had
rented a little room off the long corridor, near crazy Vinslev’s; there
was no window, but there was a pane of glass over the door leading into
the gloomy passage. The lime was falling from the walls, so that the
cob was showing in great patches.
“Well, well,” said Lasse, delighted, “so it’s come to this! I’ve often
wondered to myself why you had been given such unprofitable talents—
such as lying about and painting on the walls or on paper—you, a poor
laborer’s son. Something must be intended by that, I used to tell
myself, in my own mind; perhaps it’s the gift of God and he’ll get on
by reason of it! And now it really seems as if it’s to find its use.”
“It’s not comfortable for you here, father!” said Pelle. “But I shall
soon take you away from here, whether you like it or not. When we’ve
paid off a few of the winter’s debts we shall be moving into a
three-roomed apartment, and then you’ll have a room for your own use;
but you mustn’t go to work any longer then. You must be prepared for
that.”
“Yes, yes, I’ve nothing against living with you, so long as I’m not
taking the bread out of others’ mouths. Ah, no, Pelle, it won’t be
difficult for me to give up my work; I have overworked myself ever
since I could crawl; for seventy years almost I’ve toiled for my daily
bread— and now I’m tired! So many thanks for your kind intentions. I
shall pass the time well with the children. Send me word whenever you
will.”
The news was already known in the “Ark,” and the inmates came up to
wish him luck as he was leaving. “You won’t he running in here any more
and gossiping with us when once you are settled in your new calling,”
they said. “That would never do! But don’t quite forget all about us
just because we are poor!”
“No, no, Pelle has been through so many hungry times with us poor
folks; he’s not one of those who forget old friendship!” they
themselves replied.
Only now, when he had left the “Ark,” did he realize that there was
something to which he was bidding farewell. It was the cordial
community with all his kind, their radiant faith in him, and his own
belief in his mission there; he had known a peculiar joy in the
half-embittered recklessness, the community of feeling, and the
struggle. Was he not, so to speak, the Prince of poverty, to whom they
all looked up, and of whom they all expected that he would lead them
into a strange world? And could he justify himself for leaving them all
in the lurch because of his own good fortune? Perhaps he was really
appointed to lead the movement—perhaps he was the only one who could do
so!
This belief had always been faintly glimmering in the back of his mind,
had stood behind his endurance in the conflict, and behind all the
gladness with which he bore privation. Was he in his arrogance to
repudiate the place that had formed him? No, he was not so blatant as
all that! There was plenty beside himself capable of seeing the
movement through—and Fortune had tapped him on the shoulder. “March
forward, Pelle!” an inward voice exhorted him. “What have you to
consider? You have no right to thrust success away from you? Do you
want to ruin yourself without profiting others? You have been a good
comrade, but here your ways divide. God Himself has given you talent;
even as a child you used to practise it; no one will gain by your
remaining poor. Choose your own path!”
Yes, Pelle had chosen readily enough! He knew very well that he must
accept this good fortune, whatever the world might say to it. Only it
hurt him to leave the others behind! He was bound to poverty by such
intimate ties; he felt the solidarity of the poor so keenly that it
hurt him to tear himself away. Common cares had made him a man, and the
struggle had given him a peculiar and effective strength. But now he
would attend no more meetings! It would be droll indeed if he were to
have nothing more to do with the Cause, but were to belong to the other
side—he, Pelle, who had been a flaming torch! No, he would never leave
them in the lurch, that he knew; even if he were to climb ever so high—
and he entertained no doubts as to that—he would always feel for his
old comrades and show them the way to obtain good relations between
worker and employer.
Ellen saw how serious he was—perhaps she guessed that he was feeling
remorseful. She would help him to get over that.
“Can’t we have your father here to-morrow?” she said. “He can lie on
the long chair in the living-room until we move into our new home. It
isn’t right to let him stay where he is, and in your new situation you
couldn’t do it.”