little canals that opened into the main
canal. They passed so close to some of the houses that Kit and Kat
could see the white curtains blowing in the windows, and the pots of
red geraniums standing on the sill. In one house the family waved their
hands to Kit and Kat from the breakfast table, and a little farther on
they passed a woman who was washing clothes in the canal. Other boats
filled with vegetables and flowers of all colors passed them. And they
were going to market too. Only no other boat had twins in it.

"Good day, neighbor Vedder," one man called out. "Are you taking a pair
of fat pigs to market?"

By and by they came to the town. There were a great many boats in the
canal here, and people calling back and forth to each other from them.

Kit and Kat saw a boat that the Captain's family lived in. It was like
a floating house.

The Twins thought it must be grand to live on a boat like that, just
going about from town to town, seeing new sights every day.

"We should never have to go to school at all," said Kit.

They wished their own boat were big enough to move about in; but Father
told them they must sit very, very still all the time.

There were houses on each side of the canal, in the town, and people
were clattering along over the pavement in their wooden shoes.

The market-place was an open square in the middle of the town. It had
little booths and stalls all about it. The farmers brought their fresh
vegetables and flowers, or whatever they had to sell, into these
stalls, and then sat there waiting for customers.

Kit and Kat helped their father to unload the boat. Then they sat down
on a box, and Father gave them each some bread and cheese to eat; for
they were hungry again. They put the cheese between slices of bread and
took bites, while they looked about.

Soon there were a good many people in the square. Most of them were
women with market baskets on their arms. They went to the different
stalls to see what they would buy for dinner.

A large woman with a big basket on her arm came along to the stall
where Kit and Kat were sitting.

"Bless my heart!" she said. "Are you twins?"

"Yes, Ma'am," said Kit and Kat. And Kat said, "We're five years old."

"O my soul!" said the large woman. "So you are! What are your names?"

"Christopher and Katrina, but they call us Kit and Kat for short." It
was Kat who said this. And Kit said,

"When we are four feet and a half high, we are going to