at the lighted windows. They beat at the panes. They see the glow of
happy firesides,--the lamps of bright homes. But they can never get in.
You are one of those little wanderers, Willem. And children like you are
a million times happier when they are spared the truth. So it's the most
beautiful thing that can happen for you, that before your playing time
is over--before you begin a man's bitterly hard, grinding toil,--all the
care--all the tears, all the worries, all the sorrows are going to pass
you by forever. God is going to lay His dear hand on your head. There is
always a place for such little children as you at His side. There is
none in this small, harsh, unpitying old world. If people knew--if they
understood--I don't think they could be so cruel as to bring such
children into the world, to carry terrible burdens. They _don't_ know.
But God does. And that is why He is going to take you to Him. It will be
the most wonderful--the most beautiful thing that could happen to you."

Willem smiled dreamily. Then he took a long, ecstatic drink out of the
pitcher itself, set it down, and rose to his feet. He felt suddenly
better. For the time the water had cooled him. The racking headache was
smoothed away. And, child-like, he had no desire whatever to cut short
his surreptitious good time by going to bed. He looked about him for new
objects of interest.

"Willem," went on the Dead Man, "of all this whole household, you are
the only one who really feels I am here. The only one who can almost see
me. The only one who can help me. I have a little message for you to
give Katje, and I've something to show you."

He pointed toward the desk, where lay the fragments of the picture. The
firelight was strong enough now to make them plainly visible. Willem's
eyes followed the direction of the pointing hand. But his glance, as it
reached the desk, fell upon something infinitely more attractive than
any mere photograph. He saw the tray placed there by Marta and left
untouched by Frederik.

"I'm awful hungry!" observed the boy.

"H'm!" commented Peter Grimm, as Willem started across the room to
investigate the mysteriously alluring tray. "I see I can't get any help
from a youngster as long as his stomach is calling."

"Good!" ejaculated Willem as he spied the plate of cakes.

"Help yourself!" invited Peter Grimm.

The boy obeyed the suggestion before it was made. Already his mouth was
full of cake and his jaws were working ra