"The corn was levelled with the ground by hailstorms in the spring, and there was so much rain afterwards that it sprouted in the stack." "That, indeed, is what your agent said," returned Mr.Peter; "but he could have insured against hail at Pressburg, and there's such an enormously big barn on the estate, that the whole crop could have been safely housed, and then there would have been no fear of its sprouting." "Very well, Master Peter, go on! Another time things shall be different; you may rely upon me for that." "The twelve thousand bushels of corn were sold at nine florins the bushel to a corn-dealer of Raab, I see, thus making a total of one hundred and eight thousand florins, although I notice from the newspapers that good wheat was selling all the time at Pest at twelve florins the bushel, and the corn might easily have been transported thither, for, owing to the inundations, the oxen had no work to do." "Yes; but those very inundations carried away the bridge, so that it was impossible to cross the Theiss." "It was a pity, truly, that the water carried away the bridge, but if the dyke had been kept in proper repair, the water would not have got at the bridge." "Never mind; rely upon me in the future.

Go on!" "The millet-seed, it is said, got musty from waiting too long for purchasers, so that we could only get eight thousand florins for it.
Now, that is a misstatement.

I know as a fact that there was no rain just then; but the agent, in order that he might attend a christening, stacked the crop so hastily that it got black and sour from heat." "No, really! And would you, as a Christian man, I ask, have the agent postpone the baptism of his son even for the sake of all the millet-seed in the world?
Leave that to me, and go on!" "The water carried away the hay because, just in the middle of harvest-time, your honour required the services of every man capable of holding a hay-fork at a big hunt.

Otherwise nice large sums would, as usual, have been entered to your honour's credit under this item." "Well, then, it is simply my fault this time; the poor fellows are not to blame.

Rely upon me in the future." "On that account, however, the receipts are increased by a new item, to wit, the hides of the sheep and oxen, which fell dead in heaps from want of fodder." "Ah, you see it is an ill wind that brings nobody any good." "On the other hand, our receipts are less, so far as the item of wool is concerned, which usually is considerable." "Yes, I know, the price was low; there was scarce any demand for it." "Moreover----" "Let that be, Peter.