ir
well-to-do-days, and she had kept it faithfully through all
temptations up to now. It was to have bought her so many beautiful
things, and now it had to go--to save little Kristian from a
whipping. Slowly she kneeled down in front of the hole at the foot
of the wall where it was hidden, and took the stone away; it really
hurt her to do it. Then she got up and ran off to the store as
quickly as she could--before she could repent.

On her return the little ones were asleep. She lit the lantern and
began to peel off the withered leaves from the birches which were to
be made into brooms; she was tired after the long eventful day, but
could not idle. The strong fragrance from the birches was
penetrating, and she fell asleep over her work. Thus her parents
found her.

Soerine's sharp eyes soon saw that everything was not as it should
be. "Why've you got the lantern lit?" asked she, as she unbuttoned
her coat.

Ditte had to own up, "but I've bought another!" she hastened to add.

"Oh--and where is it?" said the mother, looking round the room.

The next moment Soerine stood in the doorway. "Who gave you
permission to get things on credit?" asked she.

"I bought it with my own money," Ditte whispered.

Own money--then began a cross-examination, which looked as if it
would never end. Lars Peter had to interfere.

There was no fire in the room, so they went early to bed; Ditte had
forgotten the fire. "She's had enough to do," said Lars Peter
excusingly. And Soerine had nothing to say--she had no objection when
it meant saving.

There was a hard frost. Ditte was cold and could not sleep, she lay
gazing at her breath, which showed white, and listening to the
crackling of the frost on the walls. Outside it was moonlight, and
the beams shone coldly over the floor and the chair with the
children's clothes. If she lifted her head, she could peep out
through the cracks in the wall, catching glimpses of the white
landscape; the cold blew in her face.

The room got colder and colder. She had to lie with one arm
outstretched, holding the eiderdown over the others, and the cold
nipped her shoulders. Soester began to be restless, she was the most
thin-blooded of the three and felt the cold. It was an eiderdown
which was little else than a thick cover, the feathers having
disappeared, and those they got when killing poultry were too good
to be used--the mother wanted them turned into money.

Now Povl began to whimper. Ditte