holas
cake, like the one in the shop window! And in Kat's were three cakes
like birds, and two like fish!

"Just what we wanted!" said Kit and Kat. "Do you suppose he heard us
say so?"

"St. Nicholas can hear what people think," said Vrouw Vedder. "He is
coming to see you to-night at six o'clock, and you must be ready to
sing him a little song and answer any questions he asks you."

"How glad I am that we are so good!" said Kat.

"We'll see what the Saint thinks about that," said the mother. "Now get
dressed; for Grandfather and Grandmother will be here for dinner, and
we're going to have roast goose, and there's a great deal to do."

Kit and Kat set their beautiful cakes up where they could see them
while they dressed.

"I do wish every day were St. Nicholas Day," said Kit.

"Or the day before," said Kat. "That was such a nice day!"

"All the days are nice days, I think," said Kit.

"I don't think the dog-cart day was so very nice," said Kat. "We tore
our best clothes, and they'll never, never be so nice again. That was
because you didn't mind!"

"Well," said Kit, "I minded as much as I could. How can I mind two
things at one time? You know how well I can think! You know how I
thought about Vrouw Van der Kloot's cakes. But I can't think how I can
mind twice at one time."

"I don't suppose you can," said Kat. "But anyway, I'm sorry about my
dress."

Just then Vrouw Vedder called them to come and eat their breakfast.

Father and Mother Vedder sat down at the little round table and bowed
their heads. Kit and Kat stood up. Father Vedder said grace; and then
they ate their salt herring and drank their coffee; and Kit and Kat had
coffee too, because it was St. Nicholas morning.

It was snowing when, after breakfast, Kit went out with his father to
feed the chickens and the pigs, and to see that the cow had something
very good that she liked to eat. When they had done that, they called
Kat; and she helped throw out some grain on the white snow, so the
birds could have a feast, too.

It snowed all day. Kit and Kat both helped their mother get the dinner.
They got the cabbage and the onions and the potatoes ready; and when
the goose was hung upon the fire to roast, they watched it and kept it
spinning around on the spit, so it would brown evenly.

By and by the kitchen was all in order, and you can't think how clean
and homelike it looked! The brasses all around the room had little
flames dancing in them, b