o he had never laid hands, as Karin's gentler discipline had
usually sufficed for her foster-son.

The tears were in the eyes of the culprit, but he stood quite still,
and was at first speechless. At last he managed to say, "Don't whip me
here, Papa Jan; take me down to the shore, please." Jan generally had
his times of punishment quite private with the boys, the grove behind
the house being the usual place of execution. He could not, however,
refuse Nono's modest request. Off to the shore they went together, the
twins meanwhile shrugging and wincing, as if they themselves were
undergoing the ordeal, while they said to each other, "He'll catch it!
It won't feel good!"--not without some satisfaction, mingled with a
sense of the seriousness of the occasion.

Little Decima, who had been a depressed looker-on at the proceedings,
buried her head in her mother's apron and cried as if she herself were
the victim. The little boys, no longer little, were hardened to
punishment, as they were often in disgrace for their wild pranks, but
the idea of Nono's being whipped seemed to have made them uncommonly
sober. Sven went into the cottage to look among his treasures for
something with which to console Nono on his return from the shore.
Thor was walking up and down, giving defiant looks at the twins for
their want of sympathy with Nono in his humiliation. There was a
sorrowful shadow over the whole family group that evening not common at
the golden house.

To the surprise of all parties Jan soon appeared, holding Nono by the
hand, both apparently in a most cheerful humour. There were no tears
in Nono's face, and Jan looked down at him with peculiar tenderness.

"Nono has not meant to be a bad boy," said Jan; "and I have forgiven
him, and I think you will have to forgive him too, Karin."

"Dear, dear Mamma Karin, indeed I did not want to be a bad boy," said
Nono. "That would be hard, after all your kindness to me. Please,
please forgive me!" Nono put his arm round Karin as he spoke. She
looked doubtfully at him, but could not refuse the lips he put up to
her to be kissed in sign of full forgiveness.

Sven, who had found a broken horse-shoe among his treasures, was rather
disappointed that he had lost the opportunity of consoling Nono with
his friendly gift.

Decima laid her little hand in Nono's, and was about leading him off
the scene, when she was suddenly captured by her mother and hurried
into the cottage, wit