mother they had bells"--came from the excited group, but Mynheer
Voostenwalbert Schimmelpenninck essayed to settle the matter with
a decisive "Well, you don't any of you know a single thing about
it; they haven't a sign of a bell on them, they--"

"Oh! oh!" and the chorus of conflicting opinions broke forth
again.

"The girls' pair is to have bells," interposed Hilda quietly,
"but there is to be another pair for the boys with an arrow
engraved upon the sides."

"THERE! I told you so!" cried nearly all the youngsters in one
breath.

Katrinka looked at them with bewildered eyes.

"Who is to try?" she asked.

"All of us," answered Rychie. "It will be such fun! And you
must, too, Katrinka. But it's schooltime now, we will talk it
all over at noon. Oh! you will join, of course."

Katrinka, without replying, made a graceful pirouette and
laughing out a coquettish, "Don't you hear the last bell? Catch
me!" darted off toward the schoolhouse standing half a mile away
on the canal.

All started, pell-mell, at this challenge, but they tried in vain
to catch the bright-eyed, laughing creature who, with golden hair