But when men turned round
to look at her as she passed, he would scowl and clench his fists. At
last one day this was too much for Louise, and she rebelled. "Now, Peer,
I tell you plainly I won't go out with you if you go on like that."
"All right, my girl," he growled. "I'll look after you, though, never
fear. We're not going to have mother's story over again with you."
"Well, but, after all, I'm a grown-up-girl, and you can't prevent people
looking at me, idiot!"
Klaus Brock had been entered at the Technical College that autumn,
and went about now with the College badge in his cap, and sported a
walking-stick and a cigarette. He had grown into a big, broad-shouldered
fellow, and walked with a little swing in his step; a thick shock of
black hair fell over his forehead, and he had a way of looking about him
as if to say: "Anything the matter? All right, I'm ready!"
One evening he came in and asked Louise to go with him to the theatre.
The young girl blushed red with joy, and Peer could not refuse; but he
was waiting for them outside the yard gate when they came back. On a
Sunday soon after Klaus was there again, asking her to come out for a
drive. This time she did not even look to Peer for leave, but said "yes"
at once. "Just you wait," said Peer to himself. And when she came back
that evening he read her a terrific lecture.
Soon he could not help seeing that the girl was going about with
half-shut eyes, dreaming dreams of which she would never speak to
him.
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