ld him. He considered a moment
and then he asked: "What shall I have to do for that?"

"Something which you yourself will find more merry than anything you
ever did. You can go with me and the officers in the morning. You are
the scout and always go first to see whether the land is clear and safe
for us and where we can best pitch our tents and give battle. But one
thing I have to tell you: you have to obey me. I am the general, and if
you do not do at once what I tell you, you suffer for it. First we go
through a vineyard--"

"One cannot give battle there, nor camp," Erick interrupted.

"That makes no difference," Churi continued, "you listen to what I tell
you. You have to go through the vineyard and not make a bit of noise, do
you hear? And not run away, else--" Churi lifted his fist threateningly.
"You must not tell anyone where we are going, do you hear?"

"I am not going," said Erick.

"Then go to the auction--that is the best thing for you; I am going now,
good night."

But Churi nevertheless remained. The blood again rushed into Erick's
cheeks. He hesitated a moment, then he asked: "If I go with you, are you
sure that I can get there, where I deliver letters?"

"Of course you can," Churi grumbled.

"Then I will go."

"Give me your hand on it!"

Churi held out his hand and Erick laid his in it. Churi kept hold of the
hand. "Promise that you will be there under the apple tree on the meadow
at seven o'clock Sunday morning."

"I promise," said Erick.

Churi let go of his hand, said "Good night," and disappeared behind the
cottage.

The news of the day spread with wonderful rapidity through the schools
of the three parishes. The next evening, the evening before
Organ-Sunday, every child in Upper and Lower Wood, and above all, in
Middle Lot, knew that the quiet Erick all at once belonged to the
rowdies; that he was not only going to fight with them in the Sunday
battle, but that he was going with the worst rowdy, with Churi and his
companions, early in the morning before church.

Sally came with swollen eyes to supper, for Kaetheli had informed her of
everything: how the fine Erick, whom she would so gladly have taken into
her home and her friendship, had fallen into the hands of the coarse and
wicked Churi and would be ruined and led to do all kinds of wicked
things by the bad boy. All this made her tender heart ache. She had
gone, in the afternoon, to the solitary bench under the apple tree and
ha