friend who thinks as I do and would
have the same feeling about their actions, I'll be able to tell you
everything, and you will tell me what you think. I can let them alone
and think of you."

"Do you know, Bruno, the way I feel a real friendship ought to be?" Salo
said with glowing eyes, for this had made him happy, too. "I think it
ought to be this way: if we have to hear of anything that is ugly, mean
or rough, we ought to think right away: I have a friend who would never
do such a thing. If we hear of something though that pleases us, because
it is fine, noble and great, we should think again: My friend would do
the same. Don't you agree with me?"

Bruno judged himself very severely, because his mother had held up his
own faults to him so that he knew them very well. He replied
hesitatingly, "I wish one could always be the way one wants to be. Would
you give up trusting a friend right away if he did not act the way you
expected him to?"

"No, no," Salo said quickly, "such a friend could not trust me any more
either. I mean it differently. The friend ought to hate to do wrong and
ought to want to do right. He ought to be most sorry if he did not come
up to the best."

Bruno could now gladly and joyfully assent. Suddenly the two boys heard
their names called out loudly. Turning round they saw Kurt and Lippo
hurrying towards them and the uncle following with Mea at a slower pace.

"Wait, wait!" Kurt cried out so loudly that the echo sounded back again
from the castle, "Wait, wait!"

The two friends were doing just what had been asked of them, for they
were sitting quietly on the turf. The brothers had now reached them, and
Mea soon followed with the uncle, whose face showed signs of
perturbation.

"I hope you have not run up to the castle with Salo, Bruno," he cried out
with agitation.

"Oh, no, uncle," Bruno replied, "we sat down here on the way up. I just
wanted to show Salo the castle that belonged to his uncle, but he does
not know anything about it. He thinks that it has been sold long ago
because he never heard about it."

"Good!" said Uncle Philip with satisfaction. "Now let us quickly go
home. It is not right to starve a guest on his first visit; he might
never come again."

"Oh, I certainly shall, Mr.--," here Salo hesitated, "I do not remember
the name," he added, quite concerned.

"My name here is Uncle Philip," the kind gentleman answered, "just Uncle
Philip, nothing else!"

"Am I allowed