child."

"Now see, mine can," said the little boy, who did not like to be called
stupid, and he tied his handkerchief round the neck of the long suffering
nutcracker and dragged it after him up and down the room, lifting it up
now and then at regular intervals.

"Oh well, yes, you think you're right; and I can't explain it because you
don't understand anything about it. Just try to think a little; can you
hear a cracker sizzling as its cooks, and will it make you hungry to hear
it?"

"If I throw a cracker into the fire, won't it burn?" said the child,
planting himself before Rolf and holding his nutcracker saucily before his
eyes.

"Oh, there is no use talking to you," said Rolf, and was just about
leaving the room, but this was not so easily done, for now Hunne was
bitten with the mania for riddle-making himself.

"Stop, Rolf," he cried and grasped his brother by the jacket to hold him.
"My first is not good to drink but to eat--"

"Oh dear, well, that must be 'nutcracker' again," and Rolf ran off,
wrenching himself from his tormentor's hands. But the boy followed him,
crying, "Wrong, wrong! you are wrong. Try again, try again!"

Moreover, Wili and Lili came scampering in from the other side, crying
out,