now not even Kaetheli, with whom
she talked things over, had been in school. But now she saw Edi soaring
along like an arrow into the midst of a crowd of boys, and they all
acted so strangely and they shouted so strangely that Sally thought that
something particular must be in preparation there, and no doubt
concerned the new-comers. Then she could hear something from Edi. She
went slowly on and kept on turning round, but Edi did not come, and only
after Sally had long since greeted the mother and was about to call her
father out of his study for dinner, did the two brothers come running
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
them, that they only now have to _make_ sentences, and we in the fourth
class have begun to _write_ them already. They made a song about us
which runs:

"'Of Upper Wood the boys
They in their minds rejoice
Because they think that they the cleverest are,
But if ever they must fight
They are in sorry plight
And they turn round and run for ever so far.'