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Moni The Goat-Boy
by
Jorgli was very glad that now his secret was safe; but as Moni had become so quiet, and he had much farther to go to reach home than Moni, he considered it well to start along with his two goats. He said good-night to Moni and whistled for his two companions, which meanwhile had joined Moni’s grazing goats, but not without much pushing and other doubtful behavior between the two parties, for the goats from Fideris had never heard that they ought to be polite to visitors and the goats from Kublis did not know that they ought not to seek out the best plants or push the others away from them, when they were visiting. When Jorgli had gone some distance down the mountain, Moni also started along with his flock, but he was very still and neither sang a note nor whistled, all the way home.
CHAPTER IV
MONI CAN NO LONGER SING
On the following morning Moni came up the path to the Bath House, just as silent and cast down as the evening before. He brought out the landlord’s goats quietly and went on upwards, but he sang not a note, nor did he give a yodel up into the air; he let his head hang and looked as if he were afraid of something; now and then he looked around timidly, as if some one were coming after him to question him.
Moni could no longer be merry; he didn’t know himself exactly why. He wanted to be glad that he had saved Maggerli, and sing, but he couldn’t express it. To-day the sky was covered with clouds, and Moni thought when the sun came out it would be different and he could be happy again.
When he reached the top, it began to rain quite hard. He took refuge under the Rain-rock, for it soon poured in streams from the sky.
The goats came, too, and placed themselves here and there under the rock. The aristocratic Blackie immediately wanted to protect her beautiful shiny coat and crept in under the rock before Moni did. She was now standing behind Moni and looking out from her comfortable corner into the pouring rain. Maggerli was standing in front of its protector under the projecting rock and gently rubbed its little head against his knee; then it looked up at him in surprise, because Moni did not say a word, and it was not accustomed to that. Moni sat thoughtfully, leaning on his staff, for in such weather he always kept it in his hand, to keep himself from slipping on the steep places, for on such days he wore shoes. Now, as he sat for hours under the Rain-rock, he had plenty of time for reflection.
Moni thought over what he had promised Jorgli, and it seemed to him that if Jorgli had taken something, he was practically doing the same thing himself, because Jorgli had promised to give him something or do something for him. He had surely done what was wrong, and the dear Lord was now against him. This he felt in his heart, and it was right that it was dark and rainy and that he was hidden under the rock, for he would not even have dared look up into the blue sky, as usual.
But there were still other things that Moni had to think about. If Maggerli should fall down over a steep precipice again, and he wanted to get it, the dear Lord would no longer protect him, and he no longer dared to pray to Him about it and call upon Him, and so had no more safety; and if then he should slip and fall down with Maggerli deep over the jagged, rocks, and both of them should lie all torn and maimed! Oh, no, he said with anguish in his heart, that must not happen anyway; he must manage to be able to pray again and come to the dear Lord with everything that weighed on his heart; then he could be happy again, that he felt sure of. Moni would throw off the weight that oppressed him, he would go and tell the landlord everything–But then? Then Jorgli would not persuade his father, and the landlord would slaughter Maggerli. Oh, no! Oh, no! he couldn’t bear that, and he said: “No, I will not do it! I will say nothing!” But he did not feel satisfied, and the weight on his heart grew heavier and heavier. Thus Moni’s whole day passed.