ghed Dame Brinker, "now you have been
frisking about at that rate." As Raff closed his eyes, the dame hastened
to revive her fire, or rather to dull it, for Dutch peat is like a
Dutchman, slow to kindle, but very good at a blaze once started. Then,
putting her neglected spinning wheel away, she drew forth her knitting
from some invisible pocket and seated herself by the bedside.

"If you could remember the man's name, Raff," she began cautiously, "I
might take the watch to him while you're sleeping. Gretel can't but be
in soon."

Raff tried to think but in vain.

"Could it be Boomphoffen?" suggested the dame. "I've heard how they've
had two sons turn out bad--Gerard and Lambert?"

"It might be," said Raff. "Look if there's letters on the watch; that'll
guide us some."

"Bless thee, man," cried the happy dame, eagerly lifting the watch.
"Why, thou'rt sharper than ever! Sure enough. Here's letters! L.J.B.
That's Lambert Boomphoffen, you may depend. What the J is for I can't
say, but they used to be grand kind o' people, high-feathered as fancy
fowl. Just the kind to give their children all double names, which isn't
Scripture, anyway."

"I don't know about that, vrouw. Seems to me there's long mixed names in
the holy Book, hard enough to make out. But you've got the right guess
at a jump. It was your way always," said Raff, closing his eyes. "Take
the watch to Boompkinks and try."

"Not Boompkinks. I know no such name; it's Boomphoffen."

"Aye, take it there."

"Take it there, man! Why the whole brood of them's been gone to America
these four years. But go to sleep, Raff, you look pale and out of
strength. It'll al come to you, what's best to do, in the morning.

"So, Mistress Gretel! Here you are at last!"

Before Raff awoke that evening, the fairy godmother, as we know, had
been in the cottage, the guilders were once more safely locked in the
big chest, and Dame Brinker and the children were faring sumptuously on
meat and white bread and wine.

So the mother, in the joy of her heart, told them the story of the watch
as far as she deemed it prudent to divulge it. It was no more than fair,
she thought, that the poor things should know after keeping the secret
so safe ever since they had been old enough to know anything.

A Discovery

The next sun brought a busy day to the Brinkers. In the first place the
news of the thousand guilders had, of course, to be told to the father.
Such tidings as th