r honey cake," said Grandmother.

Then Vrouw Vedder stirred up the fire again and boiled the kettle and
made tea. She took down her best china cups and put them out on the
round table.

Then Grandmother opened her basket and took out the honey cake and buns
and the candy; and Vrouw Vedder brought out her fresh butter.

"I can't stay polite much longer," said Kit to Kat.

Grandmother gave them each a thin slice of honey cake and a bun; and
Vrouw Vedder spread some of the butter on the buns--and oh, how good
they were!

"Some for a honey cake,
And some for a bun,"

sang Kat. It didn't take the Twins long to finish them.

When they had drunk their tea, Grandmother brought out her knitting,
and Mother Vedder began to spin.

"How many rolls of linen have you ready for Kat when she marries?"
Grandmother asked.

"I try to make at least one roll each year; so she has four now and I
am working on the fifth one," said Vrouw Vedder. "She shall be as
well-to-do as any farmer's daughter near here, when she marries. See,
this is the last one," and Vrouw Vedder took from the press a roll of
beautiful white linen tied with blue ribbons.

"Is that for me, Mother?" asked Kat.

"Yes," said Vrouw Vedder. "When you marry, we shall have a fine press
full of linen for you."

"Isn't Kit going to have some too?" asked Kat.

Grandmother laughed.

"The mother of the little girl who will some day marry Kit, is working
now on her linen, no doubt; so Kit won't need any of yours."

The Twins looked very solemn and went out into the yard. They sat down
on the bench by the kitchen door together. Then Kat said,

"Kit, do you suppose we've got to be married?"

"It looks like it," said Kit.

Things seemed very dark indeed to the Twins.

"Well," said Kat, "I just tell you I'm not going to do it. I'm going to
stay at home with Mother and Father, and you and the ducks and
everything!"

"What will they do with the linen then?" said Kit. "I guess you'll have
to be married."

Kat began to cry.

"I'll just go and ask Mother," she said.

"I'll go with you," said Kit. "I don't want to any more than you do."

So the Twins got down from the bench and went into the kitchen where
Grandmother and Vrouw Vedder were.

Their mother was spinning flax to make linen thread.

"Mother," said the Twins, "will you please excuse us from being
married."

"O my soul!" said Vrouw Vedder. She seemed surprised.

"We don't want to at all,