the
sabretasche into the pond. But Christlieb was terribly distressed about
her doll, and Felix himself couldn't help being annoyed at the way
things had turned out. And in this mood of mind they crept back to the
house; and when their mother asked them what had become of their
playthings, Felix truthfully related how they had been deceived in the
harper, the gun, the sabretasche, and the doll.

"Ah! you foolish children!" cried Frau von Brakel, half angry; "you
don't know how to deal with nice toys of the kind."

But Baron Thaddeus, who had listened to Felix's tale with evident
satisfaction, said, "Let the children alone; at the bottom, I am very
glad they are fairly rid of those playthings. They didn't understand
them, and were only bothered and vexed by them."

Neither Frau von Brakel nor the children understood what the Baron
meant in so saying.

THE STRANGER CHILD.

Soon after those events, Felix and Christlieb had run off to the wood
very early one morning. Their mother had impressed upon them that they
were to be home very soon again, because it was necessary that they
should stay in the house and read and write a great deal more than they
used to do, that they might not lose countenance before the tutor, who
was expected very soon. Wherefore Felix said, "We must jump and run
about as much as we can for the little while that we are allowed to
stay out here, that's all." So they immediately began to play at hare
and hounds.

But that game, and also every other that they tried to play at, very
soon only wearied them, and failed to amuse them after a second or two.
They could not understand why it was that, on that particular day,
thousands of vexatious annoyances should keep continually happening to
them. The wind carried Felix's cap away into the bushes; he stumbled
and fell down on his nose as he was running his best. Christlieb found
herself hanging by her clothes in a thorn-tree, or banged her foot
against a sharp stone, so that she had to shrink with pain. They soon
gave it all up, and slunk along dejectedly through the wood.

"Let's go home," said Felix; "there's nothing else for it."

But instead of doing so, he threw himself down under a shady tree;
Christlieb followed his example; and there the children lay, depressed
and wretched, gazing at the ground.

"Ah!" said Christlieb; "if we only had our nice playthings."

"Bosh!" growled Felix; "what the better should we be