My best thanks,' said she with emotion, and at the same
time gave an intimation to Faith to follow her example.

'Thank me not so much, dear madam,' said the youth with a pensive air,
while touching glasses with the blushing maiden; 'else I shall have my
whole reward in thanks.'

'And in consequence lose the courage to ask for a dearer one,' jested
Katharine, who had noticed the glance he gave her sister.

'We are so merry to-night!' cried Fessel's youngest daughter, the
little Hedwig, 'cannot you let us have the play of the light boats now,
dear mother? You promised it to us on Christmas eve; which, by the by,
was passed sadly enough.'

'Yes, yes, the light boats!' shouted the other children, clapping their
hands.

'Well, bring the large soup-dish,' said the mother, who could refuse
nothing to her youngest daughter; 'but be careful not to spill the
water.'

'Glorious, excellent!' cried the children in chorus. Hedwig flew out of
the room; the other children produced wax candles of various colors,
and began cutting them into innumerable small pieces; while Faith,
Dorn, and young Engelmann, were instructed to divide the walnuts, of
which the table famished an abundant supply, in halves, and neatly to
extricate the kernels without injuring the shells.

'I know not if you are acquainted with this play of the Silesian
children,' said Fessel, laughing, to Dorn. 'It was omitted by us last
year, in consequence of my wife's illness. It is a solemn oracle upon
matters of love, marriage, and death. The children, however, do not
trouble themselves about the serious signification; but only take
pleasure in the movements of the boats and in splashing the water.'

The door now opened, and little Hedwig stepped into the room, with the
large dish full of water in her hands, with a solemn and consequential
air, and deposited her burden upon the centre of the table.

'Now put the lights in the boats,' commanded Martin; 'we have prepared
enough of them.' A small wax taper was placed in each shell, projecting
like the mast of a boat.

'Who shall swim first?' asked Elizabeth, lighting the tapers in two of
the boats.

'Mother and father!' cried the others, and the shells were placed in
the platter near each other, when they moved forth upon the clear
liquid surface with a regular motion, and burning with a steady light,
until they reached the opposite side where they quietly remained.

'We are already anchored in a safe haven,'