ick, quick, and see those two beautiful big nests filled with
Easter eggs, and two lovely silver baskets beside them! O how exquisite!
The Easter Hare is too good, he is a darling, did you ever see such
beautiful things as he has given us. I can hardly hold mine!"

"Neither can I," said Paul, "but look over there, Luischen, there are
two large baskets. I expect they are meant for us, how very convenient!
We can put all our things into them."

"Let's go and fetch them at once," said Luischen. "Do you see that
pretty bush with silver palm-buds on it over there?" she continued, "we
will go and pick a few twigs from it and tie them on to our baskets with
some grass; then they will look more 'Eastery.'"

"If only we knew where the Easter Hare lives," they said somewhat sadly,
"we would go and call on him at once and thank him for all his kindness
to us."

"O but just look, Paulchen," said Luischen excitedly, "there is
something written on the rocks over there; perhaps the Easter Hare lives
there. Paulchen, you can read a little, do see if you can make out what
is written."

Paulchen read:

"I am the Master Easter Hare
Lay eggs, in plenty, everywhere."

"Come along, run, we will knock at the door," said Luischen joyfully. So
they went up to the rock and knocked.

"Come in," said a clear voice.

They went in and turned to the door on the right from which the voice
had come. They entered a comfortable room, and there on a cosy
easy-chair, there sat father Easter Hare, who had just put on his
spectacles to examine the eggs which his son, who was about seven years
old, had painted.

"Good morning, dear Mr Easter Hare, we have come to thank you for the
lovely eggs," said the children.

"_Dear, dear_," said Mr Easter Hare, "you found them of course in your
garden, or----?"

"Alas, no, we have no home, we are orphans; the people in the orphanage
did not treat us kindly, so we ran away, and meant to seek our fortune
in the wide world," said the children. "Then we were so lucky as to find
these beautiful eggs in the fields over there!"

"Dear me, so you are orphans!--well then perhaps you would like to stay
here with us and learn painting and housekeeping," said Mr Easter Hare.

"Oh yes indeed, we should simply love to!" answered the children, "but
where is your wife? Perhaps she will be able to teach us to be of some
use in the household."

"Well, well, my wife is in the kitchen cooking cabbage, and carrots, an