t, Matilda! We will change places!
You must live in my house and pretend that you are me, and I will live
in your house and pretend that I am you! And you must smile and be
friendly just as I would do."

After a great deal of coaxing, Matilda finally agreed that she would
change places with Katrinka and try to smile when anyone came to see
her.

"But only for three days!" she said.

So Matilda went over to Katrinka's cottage and went to bed and Katrinka
stayed in Matilda's cottage, but she did not go to bed.

Instead she went all over the house and tidied everything up and placed
pretty white curtains at the windows. In the morning neighbors came to
Katrinka's house, and Matilda, taking Katrinka's place met them with
a smile, and soon in spite of herself she was laughing and enjoying
herself.

And when they left, Matilda felt that she enjoyed having them there.

But what was the callers' surprise when they passed Matilda's cottage
to see someone planting flowers around the stoop. They stopped in
wonderment and, as Katrinka looked up at them with a cheery "Good
Morning!" and a happy smile they could scarce believe their eyes and
ears, for they thought it was Matilda.

And these callers told other neighbors and they called at Katrinka's
house and visited with Matilda and Matilda was so pleased she laughed
as cheerily as Katrinka could laugh. And as the neighbors left they saw
Katrinka in Matilda's front yard planting flowers and stopped in open
mouthed wonder to gaze at her, for _they_ thought she was Matilda.

And when Katrinka smiled at them and said her cheery "Good morning"
_they_ could scarcely believe their eyes and ears.

The neighbors all put their heads together, and that evening they filled
their baskets with goodies and presents and, with large bouquets of
flowers, they tiptoed up to Matilda's front stoop and stamped their
feet.

Now Katrinka had called Matilda over to her own house to see the changes
she had made and Matilda was beginning to see what she had missed all
along. And as they were talking, there came a noise at the front stoop.

"Shall I go to the door, Matilda?" asked Katrinka.

"No, I will go, Katrinka!" Matilda replied, her face alight with
happiness. So Matilda welcomed her guests as cheerily as Katrinka had
done the evening before and the laughter lasted until 'way in the night.

And when the last guest had left, Matilda took Katrinka in her arms and
said, "I will not need to c