Very likely it was after an insult of this
kind that Enrico decided to elope to America with his baby sister.
They were found down by the harbor bargaining with some fishermen to
take them over to Capri _en route_ for the land of freedom. The
elder Dalgas died while the children were yet little, and the widow
went back to Denmark to bring up her boys there.
They were poor, and the change from the genial skies of sunny Italy
to the bleak North did not make it any easier for them. Enrico's
teacher saw it, and gave him his overcoat to be made over. But the
boys spotted it and squared accounts with their teacher by
snowballing the wearer of the big green plaid until he was glad to
leave it at home, and go without. He was in the military school when
war broke out with Germany in 1848. Both of his brothers
volunteered, and fell in battle. Enrico was ordered out as
lieutenant, and put on the shoulder-straps joyfully, to the great
scandal of his godfather in Milan, who sympathized with the German
cause. When the young soldier refused to resign he not only cut him
off in his will, but took away a pension of four hundred kroner he
had given his mother in her widowhood. If he had thoughts of
bringing them over by such means, he found out his mistake.
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