iny feather
dress as Dunfin, nor did they have her sweet and gentle disposition.
From the time they had been little, yellow goslings, their parents and
relatives and even the old fisherman had plainly shown them that they
thought more of Dunfin than of them. Therefore the sisters had always
hated her.

When the wild geese landed on the cliff island, Prettywing and Goldeye
were feeding on a bit of grass close to the strand, and immediately
caught sight of the strangers.

"See, Sister Goldeye, what fine-looking geese have come to our island!"
exclaimed Prettywing, "I have rarely seen such graceful birds. Do you
notice that they have a white goosey-gander among them? Did you ever set
eyes on a handsomer bird? One could almost take him for a swan!"

Goldeye agreed with her sister that these were certainly very
distinguished strangers that had come to the island, but suddenly she
broke off and called: "Sister Prettywing! Oh, Sister Prettywing! Don't
you see whom they bring with them?"

Prettywing also caught sight of Dunfin and was so astounded that she
stood for a long time with her bill wide open, and only hissed.

"It can't be possible that it is she! How did she manage to get in with
people of that class? Why, we left her at Oeland to freeze and starve."

"The worse of it is she will tattle to father and mother that we flew
so close to her that we knocked her wing out of joint," said Goldeye.
"You'll see that it will end in our being driven from the island!"

"We have nothing but trouble in store for us, now that that young one
has come back!" snapped Prettywing. "Still I think it would be best for
us to appear as pleased as possible over her return. She is so stupid
that perhaps she didn't even notice that we gave her a push on purpose."

While Prettywing and Goldeye were talking in this strain, the wild geese
had been standing on the strand, pluming their feathers after the
flight. Now they marched in a long line up the rocky shore to the cleft
where Dunfin's parents usually stopped.

Dunfin's parents were good folk. They had lived on the island longer
than any one else, and it was their habit to counsel and aid all
newcomers. They too had seen the geese approach, but they had not
recognized Dunfin in the flock.

"It is strange to see wild geese land on this island," remarked the
goose-master. "It is a fine flock--that one can see by their flight."

"But it won't be easy to find pasturage for so many," said