h the exclamation, "Here's Decima up till this
time! One never knows when to put children to bed these summer
evenings. She'll be as cross as pepper in the morning if she don't get
her sleep out!"

It was plain that Karin was not quite satisfied with the turn the whole
affair had taken.

"Papa is too partial to Nono! It is a shame!" murmured the twins, as
they went off in a pout.

The morning of the second day of August was warm and bright. When
Karin awoke, Jan was already up and out of the house. The children
were dressed in their holiday clothes, by their father's permission,
they said, their faces beaming with satisfaction. Karin was hardly in
order when Jan appeared and advised her to put on a white apron, which
she wonderingly consented to do, and then Jan led her off down to the
shore. Behind them the children followed in orderly procession. Old
Pelle brought up the rear, like the shepherd with the sheep going on
before him.

Of the why and wherefore of all this ado the children had no idea.
Nono had assured them that their father approved of the whole thing,
and the proud and yet tender way that Jan was walking with Karin showed
that the affair had his full endorsement.

On a green bank in a little cove in the shore Karin was ceremoniously
seated, and Jan placed himself at her side.

The children threw into her lap their bouquets, each of a hue of its
own, to lie there like a jumbled-up rainbow. With Oke's bright flowers
from the pastor's garden fell a bank-note from the absent Erik, with an
inscription pinned to it in his usual lingo: "Mamma. From her gosse
Erik." (Nono had assured Oke it was best to keep the gift till the
second of August.) A few drops fell on the note and the bright flowers
from Karin's astonished eyes; but there was a sudden sunshine of joy
and wonder as Nono proceeded to take down the evergreen branches that
were leaned against the bank opposite to her. There, a deep arch had
been scooped into the hillside. In its sweet retirement there was a
tiny house of yellow pine, perfectly modelled after the family home,
the door open, and the flower-beds in their proper place under the
windows. In front of the house was a group, which all recognized at a
glance. "Perfect! Just as if he had seen it! Think! he could make
it, when he was only _so long_ at the time!" exclaimed Oke, his fingers
indicating a most diminutive baby. There was no contempt, but
unlimited admiration, i