along, their faces red as fire, and breathless, for they had lingered to
the last moment. The father was just leaving his study when both rushed
toward him and now it began: "We have--the Middle Lotters--with the
Lower Wooders--"

"Hush, hush," said the father. "First get your breath, then relate, one
after the other; but before anything, first the soup." With these words
the father took Ritz's hand, and Sally and Edi followed them into the
dining-room. Sally pulled Edi a little back and whispered:

"Tell me quickly, what did they tell about the strange boy?"

"About him?" returned Edi in a somewhat scornful tone. "I had forgotten
all about him! We have something else to do than to talk about a strange
boy, of whom one does not even know whether he will come to Upper Wood
to school."

This answer was somewhat unexpected to Sally and had a saddening effect;
but she always could find a way out of an unpleasant situation. So she
sat as still as a mouse during the whole time the soup was eaten, and
her thoughts were hard at work.

Now the father turned to Edi and said: "Now you can relate your
adventure, while Ritz remains quiet, and afterwards his turn will come."
Ritz looked quite obedient for he had two large noodles on his plate to
work with.

But Edi, in a moment, put down knife and fork and quickly began: "Just
think, Papa, we have made three songs, one for each parish. First, the
Lower Wooders began. The sixth class were angry because we laughed at