elves and hooks to put up. The women
can cook and sew. You may stay for a few days, at any rate."

Gerhardt expressed his thanks, and Romund, disappearing outside the back
door, returned with some pieces of wood and tools, which he laid down on
the form. He was trying to carve a wooden box with a pattern of oak
leaves, but he had not progressed far, and his attempts were not of the
first order. Haimet noticed Gerhardt's interested glance cast on his
brother's work.

"Is that any thing in your line?" he asked with a smile.

"I have done a little in that way," replied Gerhardt modestly. "May I
examine it?" he asked of Romund.

The young carver nodded, and Gerhardt took up the box.

"This is an easy pattern," he said.

"Easy, do you call it?" replied Romund. "It is the hardest I have done
yet. Those little round inside bits are so difficult to manage."

"May I try?" asked Gerhardt.

It was not very willingly that Romund gave permission, for he almost
expected the spoiling of his work: but the carving-tool had not made
more than a few cuts in the German's fingers, before Romund saw that his
guest was a master in the art. The work so laborious and difficult to
him seemed to do itself when Gerhardt took hold of it.

"Why, you are a first-class hand at it!" he cried.

Gerhardt smiled. "I have done the like before, in my own country," he
said.

"Will you teach me your way of working?" asked Romund eagerly. "I never
had any body to teach me. I should be as glad as could be to learn of
one that really knew."

"Gladly," said Gerhardt. "It will give me pleasure to do any thing for
the friends who have been so kind to me."

"Derette, it is your bedtime," came from the other corner--not by any
means to Derette's gratification. "Give the baby to its mother, and be
off."

Very unwillingly Derette obeyed: but Gerhardt, looking up, requested
Isel's permission for his wife and sister to retire with the child.
They had had a long journey that day, and were quite worn out. Isel
readily assented, and Derette with great satisfaction saw them accompany
her up the ladder.

The houses of the common people at that time were extremely poor. This
family were small gentlefolks after a fashion, and looked down upon the
tradesmen by whom they were surrounded as greatly their inferiors: yet
they dwelt in two rooms, one above the other, with a ladder as the only
means of communication. Their best bed, on which Isel and