unen coughed, as if to remind Peter that lecture hour was
approaching fast. At the same moment Ben laid something upon the table.

"Ah," exclaimed Peter, "I forgot my other errand. Your sister ran off so
quickly today that Madame van Gleck had no opportunity to give her the
case for her skates."

"S-s-t!" said Dame Brinker, shaking her head reproachfully at Gretel.
"She was a very rude girl, I'm sure." Secretly she was thinking that
very few women had such a fine little daughter.

"No, indeed"--Peter laughed--"she did exactly the right thing--ran home
with her richly won treasures. Who would not? Don't let us detain you,
Hans," he continued, turning around as he spoke, but Hans, who was
eagerly watching his father, seemed to have forgotten their presence.

Meantime, Raff, lost in thought, was repeating, under his breath,
"Thomas Higgs, Thomas Higgs, aye, that's the name. Alack! if I could but
remember the place as well."

The skate case was elegantly made of crimson morocco, ornamented with
silver. If a fairy had designed its delicate tracery, they could not
have been more daintily beautiful. "For the Fleetest" was written upon
the cover in sparkling letters. It was lined with velvet, and in one
corner was stamped the name and address of the maker.

Gretel thanked Peter in her own simple way, then, being quite delighted
and confused and not knowing what else to do, she lifted the case,
carefully examining it in every part. "It's made by Mynheer Birmingham,"
she said after a while, still blushing and holding it before her eyes.

"Birmingham!" replied Lambert van Mounen, "that's the name of a place in
England. Let me see it."

"Ha! ha!" He laughed, holding the open case toward the firelight. "No
wonder you thought so, but it's a slight mistake. The case was made at
Birmingham, but the maker's name is in smaller letters. Humph! They're
so small, I can't read them."

"Let me try," said Peter, leaning over his shoulder. "Why, man, it's
perfectly distinct. It's T-H--it's T--"

"Well!" exclaimed Lambert triumphantly, "if you can read it so easily,
let's hear it, T-H, what?"

"T.H.-T.H. Oh! Why, Thomas Higgs, to be sure," replied Peter, pleased to
be able to decipher it at last. Then, feeling that they had been acting
rather unceremoniously, he turned to Hans.

Peter turned pale! What was the matter with the people? Raff and Hans
had started up and were staring at him in glad amazement. Gretel looked
wild. Dame Br