Off ran Hunne.

"Jule, nobody will guess my riddle, and even Miss Hanenwinkel is too busy,
so she sent me to ask you."

"Well, what is it, my little man? out with it," said Jule good-humoredly.

So the child repeated his "you can eat but not drink," and then stopped
short.

"Well, go on! What comes next?" said his brother, "what is the rest?"

"You must make the rest, Jule; the whole is nut-cracker."

"Oh yes, I see; that is all right. Now look here; since Miss Hanenwinkel
sent you to me to guess for her, I will send one to her by you. Now say
it over and over until you have learned it. It is rather long:"

"First cut short your laughter for me,
Then spell me a _nun_ with an _e_,
Shut quickly with meaning, one eye,
Then add me an _el_, and--good-bye--
Good-bye till I meet you again."

It did not take Hunne long to learn the lines, and he started off at once
to find the governess. She was sitting with Wili and Lili in the school
room, patiently trying to get them to finish their examples; but they were
both so absent-minded, that she was sure that they were planning something
extraordinarily mischievous. In rushed the little Hunne: