cellar was full of rats, she said, that the cat
might take care of; and you could always get rid of a goat in our town.
And I promised that I would hold on to the cat through the whole
journey, and Karsten would hold on to the kid, and Mother needn't think
they would be any worry or nuisance to her at all. No indeed--far from
it.

Well, off we went. When Mother talks of our journey home from the
country that time, she both laughs and cries. First we had to drive
nearly twenty-five miles. Mother and Karl and Olaug, and the kid and
Karsten, and the forest-cat and I, and the hold-all and lunch-basket and
bundle of shawls--all were in one carriage. Nobody kept quiet an
instant, for Karlie boy wanted to know who lived in every single house
along the road, and Olaug whimpered and wanted to eat all the time, and
the forest-cat could not by hook or crook be made to stay in any basket,
but would sit on the driver's seat and look around; so you see, I had to
stand and hold it so it should not fall out of the carriage. And the
goat kicked into the air with all its four legs and would not lie in
Karsten's lap a minute. You had better believe there was a rumpus!

Mother said afterwards that she just sat and wished that both the cat
and the goat would fall out of the carriage; she would then whip up the
horse and drive away from them, she was so sick of the whole business.

At last we came to the first place where we were to stay over night.
Karsten and I took our pets with us to our rooms. They should not be put
into a strange barn and be frightened, poor things! But oh, how those
rooms looked in the morning! I can't possibly describe it.

Mother was desperate.

"Do let us get away from this place," she said. "There's no knowing how
much I shall have to pay; it will be a costly reckoning, I'll warrant
you."

It was.

Well, we all hurried, and flew down to the little steamer. It was
cram-jam full of passengers,--ladies who sat with their opera-glasses
and were very elegant and looked sideways at you; and sun-burnt
gentlemen with tiny little traveling caps. They all looked hard at
Karsten and me with our animals in our arms.

The billy-goat bleated and was determined to get down on to the deck,
and the cat miaowed and the ladies drew their skirts close and looked
indignant.

"Go into the cabin!" said Mother.

Karsten and I scrambled down below with the goat and the cat. There
wasn't a living soul there, nothing but bad ai