him down on his little stool by the stove. We children saw this
before father, who stood with his back to Pekka planing away at
his axe-shaft under the lamp. We said nothing, however, but
laughed and whispered among ourselves, "If only father sees that,
what will he say, I wonder?" And when father did catch sight of
him, he planted himself arms akimbo in front of Pekka, and asked
him, quite spitefully, what sort of fine work he had there, since
he must needs have a separate light all to himself?

"I am only patching up my shoes," said Pekka to father.

"Oh, indeed! Patching your shoes, eh? Then if you can't see to do
that by the same light that does for me, you may take yourself off
with your pare into the bath-house or behind it if you like."

And Pekka went.

He stuck his boots under his arm, took his stool in one hand and
his pare in the other, and off he went. He crept softly through
the door into the hall, and out of the hall into the yard. The
pare light flamed outside in the blast, and played a little while,
glaring red, over outhouses, stalls, and stables. We children saw
the light through the window and thought it looked very pretty.
But when Pekka bent down to get behind the bath-house door, it was
all dark again in the yard, and instead of the pare we saw only
the lamp mirroring itself in the dark window-panes.

Henceforth we never burned a pare in the dwelling-room again. The
lamp shone victoriously from the roof, and on Sunday evenings all
the townsfolk often used to come to look upon and admire it. It