Erick and Sally

h on the

the living-room from breakfast. The signs were indeed understood by the child but she had no time to go to the kitchen. She waved her sch

loud as they could, to have their views heard. Sally, who had waited a few moments for her brothers, went on home for she knew how long such meetings were apt to last and

thing that happened yester

y wears velvet pants and a jacket all of velvet? Well, well! I have lived ten years with your great-grandfather and thirty with your grandfather and twelve with your father, and I have seen your father grow up from the first day of his life and your little brothers. And I have known them since they were babies and none of them ever had velvet pants on their body, and yet they were all ministers, your great-grandfather, your grandfather, your father, and the little ones will be m

om with the soup tureen, the brothers appeared, in a peculiar way. At each side of 'Lizebeth one crawled into the room, then shot straight across the room, like the birds before a storm shoot through the air so that one fears they will run their heads against something. Fortunately the two boys did

hunder storm, sure signs are visible." Then turning to his sons he continued: "But what do

r's plate, slyly across to his aunt, to see whether it looked like an order to go to bed at once.

h, who with the same signs of snorting anger threw more than placed t

nt to him than those that come from the sky. As soon as he had left the room 'Lizebeth stood in the doorway, both arms akimbo and looking quite warlike; she said:

she said soothingly: "But, 'Lizebeth, I should hope that you do not think that I would oppose your

as the answer. "No, no, I know what has to be done if no one else does. I can wait until Sunday afternoon; that is a time when the likes

advisable not to touch on it. So 'Lizebeth grumbled for a little while, then she went away, since no further chance for outbreaks was offered. But there was no peace during the whole week; all noticed that, and each went carefully by 'Lizebeth as if she were a powder magazine which, at a careless touch

t her thoughts began again to work in her; one could see that, for she began to walk quicker and quicker and to talk half aloud to herself. Now she had arrived. Marianne had seen her from her little window and was surprised that this time 'Lizebeth was so soon keeping her promise. For years she had promised, had sent the messages that she would soon come; but she had neve

o come by the back way, which, no doubt, is on account of the strange people whom you have taken into your house. I have heard much of

frightened. "That is not true, no one has forbidden me anything. And the peo

hut, so hidden as yours is, Marianne, where they pay next to nothing, and the woman struts about in a silk skirt and her little son in velvet; then there is something behind it all, and if she has silk skirts then she must

like her. I have never in this world seen a better and a more patient and a more amiable human being. And in regard to the silk skirt, please be still and do not talk about it, 'Lizebet

skirt and no other whatsoever, and so, of course, was obliged to wear it. Sh

om where he came, wears velvet pants on bright week-days and even a velvet jacket, then they are velvet pants and do not only look so, that is certain. There is something

id seriously. "Look at him and you will see th

sent one and his two sons; but we have never known anything of velvet pants, no, never, and we were, I should think, different people from these. That is what I wanted to tell you, Marianne, and that is the main reason why I came to you, so that you should know

plendid little fellow, I should like to see

ime, more than I. Then you can look at the other, too, and can see what a pretty, straight nose he has, that no angel c

the shortening of the names, Ritz and Edi, seemed to her a

happy together and so joyous," Marianne said with a sigh, and she threw a glance at the room of th

ith the people?" she

" was the answer, "I do not

with such strangers

nne opposed. "I tell you they are the best people

idently no love for the two and was full of distrust, and Marianne had taken them both into her heart so that she could not bear sharp rem

was going to walk with her. So they did, and as the two friends wandered together through the evening, they had much to tell each other and were very talkative; only when 'Lizebeth began to talk about the strangers in Marianne's house, was the latter silent and hardly spo

the woman sang every day, either at the beginning or the end of her songs. It always seemed as if a great joy came into her voice and as if she wanted to make this joy appeal to all who listened. And yet this song touched Marianne's heart so deeply that she wept every time she heard it. So it happened this evening. There was a log lying before the house-door which served her for a resting-place when, in the evening, she wanted to ge

her, and she stepped down from the log, put her apron to h