Erick and Sally

sonage of

o, and partly for joy; for when the sunshine came through the last window, then the moment approached that the closing word would be spoken, and the children could rush out into the evening sunshine. The teacher was still busy with the illuminated heads of the second class, a

now. Now then! What can be made useful in a household? Do not f

at the parsonage for months at a time and would help the mother in governing the household. Ritz remembered especially, that Auntie was particularly inclined to have the children go to bed in good time-and they had to go-and he also remembered that they could not get the extra ten minutes from Mother, for Auntie

ng different from a quality," the teacher

inding that it is time to g

w in a severe tone, "is the

f in his sentence. He therefore changed his mind and said more gently: "Your sentence is unfitting and incorrect, for your three qualities are not there.

self sitting alone in the evening thinking and thinking and gnawing on his

oward the open place before the schoolhouse, where suddenly all were crowded together like a huge ball, from th

re we went to school"-It was so confused, nothing could really be understood. Then a voice shouted: "All come along! Perhaps they are not thr

d had listened intently to the exciting, although incomprehensible story. The other was his brother Edi, a slender, tall fellow with a high forehead and serious gre

e that, Ritz, so hurry up!" With these words Edi pulled his brother

nimated conversation. It was Sally, the ten-year-old sister of the two boys, with

Sally. "Just you begin at the beginning, from wher

ing everything was open, and yet Marianne had said nothing about it to anyone and all people in Middle Lot were surprised at that. At half-past eleven, just when we were coming out of school, we saw a wagon coming up the hill from Lower Wood, and the horse could hardly pull the load, for there was a large piano on the wagon, a bed, and lots of other things, a table and a little box, and I think that was all. Now the wagon stopped at old Marianne's cottage, and all at once there came out of the cottage ol

s said long since that the cottage would tumble over one of these days. And Sally! I wish you could see the woman, yo

ook?" asked Sally, who had followed he

wears velvet pants, quite short black velvet pants and a velvet

te pretty," observed Sally, "but

watch the moving of the piano. He

whether I may go home with you for a little while. I should like to see that

ry out the plan, and the children

the large apple-tree, Mother and Auntie were sitting mending and conversing over the bringing-up of the children; for Aun

le Lot-people have arrived-a wagon an

usion, breathlessly

s who suddenly have become crazy, no human being can understand a word. O

lent at this moment of excitement, that could not be expected; therefore both began afresh and would no doubt have cont

, and to increase the gaping crowd who, no doubt, were standing in front of Marianne's cottage. She did not give the longed-for permis

at once with Kaetheli into the house. But Edi showed a dissatisfied face,

troops which his aunt would lead into battle to help his mother. But before he had weighed all sides his aunt said: "Well, Edi, have you not yet swallowed the

ld, then all other interests were pushed into the background. He at once remembered that he ha

a fine hiding-place in the henhouse, where he had comfortably settled, secure from being discovered, when this terrible call reached him. It struck him like a thunderbolt. Yes, it took his breath away so that he turned white and hadn't the

place. "Come, crawl out. I know you are in there a

they had sought Ritz for a long time in vain. But Auntie had experience in such things. Ritz ac

r ago, you haven't a drop of blood in your cheeks," th

a?" asked Ritz

d at once when I have got you finally together

o bring him up the stairs to the bedroom. Then everything was over and no rescue from going to bed at on

ie felt great pity for him. "Come in here," she said, and

before him, and reminded him how they looked, that he had his three sentences and his nine qualities together in no time. Now there came a feeling to Ritz that he had not acted right, when he said that an aunt must not always be reminding people, and when now Auntie a

that," said Auntie.

e had never come to him. After a while he said: "You see, Ritz, it goes thus: if you have done something that is a sin, then you must go at once to Daddy and confess, there is no help for it; but if you do that, then everything comes again in order and you feel happy again, and afterwards you look out not to do the sinful thing again. I can tell you that, Ritz. But if you do not confess, then you are always full of fear when a door is slammed or a letter-carrier unexpectedly brings a letter, then you think at once: 'There now, everything will come out.' And so you are never sure nor safe and you feel a pressure in the chest. But there is another thing th

uch deep breaths that Edi knew what was going on. He heaved a sigh and said: "O

tch the mice during the night. 'Lizebeth had been in the parsonage of Upper Wood as long as one could remember, for there had always been a son, and when the time had come, then he had become parson in Upper Wo