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The merchant's son had a private tutor
who taught him his lessons and who took walks with him， too． Peerwas also to have an education， so he
went to publicschool with a great number of other boys．
They played to－ gether， and
that was much more fun than going along with a tutor．
Peer would not have changed places with him．
He was a lucky Peer， but Godfather was also a lucky
peer，although his name was not Peer． He won a pnize in the lottery， of two
hundred dollars，on a ticket he shared with eleven
others． He immediately bought some better clothes， and he looked very well in them．
Luck never comes alone； it always has company， and soit did this time．Godfather gave up
the garbage wagon and joined the theater．
"What's that！" said Grandmother．"Is he going into the theater？ As what？"
As a machinist． That was an advancement． He be-came quite another person； and he
enjoyed the plays very much， although he always saw
them from the top or from the side． Most wonderful was
the ballet， but that gavehim the hardest work， and there was always danger of fire． They
danced both in heaven and on earth． That was something
for little Peer to see； and one evening when there was
to be a dress rehearsal of a new ballet， inwhich
everyone was dressed and made up as on the open－ ing
night when people pay to see all the magnificence， he
had permission to bring Peer with him and put him in a place where he could see
the whole show．
It was a Biblical ballet—Samson． The Philistinesdanced about him， and he tumbled
the whole house downover them and himself； but there
were both fire engines and firemen on hand in case of any accident．
Peer had never seen a stage play， not to mention a
ballet．He put on his Sunday clothes and went with God－ father to the theater．It was just like a
great deying loft，with many curtains and screens， big openings in the floor， lamps，and lights． There were so many tricky nooks
and corners everywhere， from which people appeared， just as in a great church with its gallery pews． Peer was seat－ed down where the floor
slanted steeply and was told to stay there until it was all finished and he was
sent for．Hehad three sandwiches in his pocket， so that he need notstarve．
Soon it grew lighter and lighter； then up in front， just as if straight out of the earth， there
came a number ofmusicians with both flutes and violins．
In the seats next toPeer sat people dressed in street clothes；but there also appeared knights with gold helmets， beautiful maidens ingauze and flowers， even
angels all in white， with wings on their backs．They seated themselves upstairs and downstairs， on the floor and in the balcony seats，
towatch what was going on．They were all members of the
ballet， but Peer did not know that． He thought they be－longed in the fairy
tales his grandmother had told him about． There then
appeared a woman， and she was themost beautiful of all， with a gold helmet and spear； she seemed to
be above all the others， and sat between an an－gel and a troll． Ah，
how much there was to see！ And yet the ballet bad not
even begun．
Suddenly everything became quiet．A man dressed in black
moved a little fairy wand over all the musicians， and
then they began to play； the music made a whistling
sound through the theater， and the whole wall in front
be- gan to rise．One looked into a flower garden， where the sun shone and all the people danced and leaped． Such a wonderful sight Peer had never imagined． There weresoldiers marching， and there was
war， and there was a banquet，
and there were the mighty Samson and his lover．
But she was as wicked as she was beautiful； she
betrayed him． The Philistines plucked his eyes out； he was forced togrind in the mill and to be mocked and insulted in
the great house； it fell， and
there burst forth wonderful flames of redand green fire．
Peer could have sat there his whole life long and looked on， even if the sandwiches were all eaten—and
they were all eaten．
Now here was something to tell about， when he gothome．It was impossible to get him to go to bed．He
stood on one leg and laid the other on the table—that
was what Samson's lover and all the other ladies had done． He madea treadmill out of Grandmother's chair and upset two
chairsand a pillow over himself to show how the banquet hall had come down．He showed this—yes，and
he even presented it with the music that belonged to it；there was no talking in the ballet． He sang
high and low，[with words andwithout words，] and it was quite incoherent． It was like
awhole opera． The most noticeable thing of all， meanwhile，was his beautiful， bell－clear voice，
but no one spoke ofthat．
Peer previously had wanted to be a grocer's boy， tobe
in charge of prunes and powdered sugar． Now he
foundthere was something much more wonderful， and that
was toget into the Samson story and dance in the ballet． A great many poor children had taken that road， said the grand－mother， and had become fine and honored people； yet
no little girl of her family would ever be permitted to do so；but a boy—well， he
stood more firmly． Peer had not seen a single one of
the little girls fall down before the whole house fell，
and then they all fell together， he said．
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