her mother. "Besides I can see Maezli," the mother concluded,
"that your great zeal seems to come from a wish to get rid of all the
things you don't like to wear yourself. All your woolen things, which
you always say scratch your skin. So you do not mind if other children
have them, Maezli?"

"They might like them better than to be cold," was Maezli's opinion.

"Oh, mother, Mrs. Knippel is coming up the road toward our house; I am
sure she is coming to see us," said Lippo, who had gone to the window.

"And I have not even taken my things off on account of your disorder
here," said the mother a little frightened. "Maezli, go and greet Mrs.
Knippel and take her into the front room. Tell her that I have just come
from church and that I shall come directly."

Maezli ran joyfully away; the errand seemed to please her. She received
the guest with excellent manners and led her into the front room to the
sofa, for Maezli knew exactly the way her mother always did. Then she
gave her mother's message.

"Very well, very well, And what do you want to do on this beautiful
Sunday?" the lady asked,

"Take a walk," Maezli answered rapidly. "Are they still locked up?" she
then casually asked.

"Who? Who? Whom do you mean?" and the lady looked somewhat disapprovingly
at the little girl.

"Edwin and Eugen," Maezli answered fearlessly.

"I should like to know where you get such ideas," the lady said with
growing irritation. "I should like to know why the boys should be locked
up."

"Because they are so mean to Loneli all the time," Maezli declared.

The mother entered now. To her friendly greeting she only received a
very cold reply.

"I only wonder, Mrs. Rector," the guest began immediately in an
irritated manner, "what meanness that little poison-toad of a Loneli has
spread and invented about my boys. But I wonder still more that some
people should believe such things."

Mrs. Maxa was very much astonished that her visitor should have already
heard what had taken place the night before, as she knew that her sons
would not speak of it of their own free will.

"As long as you know about it already, I shall tell you what happened,"
she said. "You have apparently been misinformed. It had nothing to do
whatever with a meanness on Loneli's part. Maezli, please join the other
children and stay there till I come," the mother interrupted herself,
turning to the little girl, whose eyes had been expectantly glued on the
visitor's