ank you very kindly. My lady will be glad."

Taking the flowers from the boys, the lady placed their ends in the
brook.

"Since you are not familiar here, perhaps you will need something that
you cannot find in the woods," Palko said thoughtfully. "We shall be
glad to serve you; just let us know."

"I shall be very thankful, boys, if you will help me. We have brought
everything except salt and bread, which we do not have, because the
bag in which the eatables were, must have been left in the coach. We
came late last night instead of this morning, so the doctor did not
accompany us, and my surroundings are still strange."

"We will bring some salt and bread. Our hut is near by," Petrik cried
zealously. "Also the whey will be ready. Come on, Ondrejko."

"Are they to bring us milk and bread from the hut?" inquired the lady.

"That will be from us," Ondrejko assured her. "But we have to go at
once so that we can return soon."

"I will stay with you," decided Palko, "because the cottage belongs
to my father. Although you may be used to having things arranged
differently, I may be able to show you where you can put one thing and
another."

"So this is your cottage? Then you can advise me where to put
everything that we have brought along. What shall we call you?"

"Palko Lesina. The other boy is Petrik Filina, and the third one is
Ondrejko de Gemer."

"What is his name?" asked the lady, startled.

"De Gemer. The sheepfolds belong to his father. The doctor sent
Ondrejko to Bacha Filina because he was weak. Here he thrives well.
From the time that he has lived as we live and not like a gentleman,
he has been getting well and strong. And how about your lady; could
she sleep last night?"

"Oh, my poor lady!" sobbed the elderly woman. "If she only knew. I
don't know whether she slept in the night, but now she sleeps as she
has not slept for a long time. Come, Palko, enter softly."

It was good that there was a hall between the bedroom and the kitchen,
for thus the sleeper was not disturbed. Palko proved to be a very good
helper. From the kitchen which looked like a county fair, they carried
away trunks, bags, coverings, raincoats, and towels, into the clean
storage room, which the lady had not yet discovered. Some things they
laid on the shelves which Lesina had already put up, and others were
hung on nails on the wall. One of the trunks, the lady emptied. In it
were the china and all the kitchen utensils. These Pa