on a chair.

And then he was given bread-and-butter and cracknels and milk. But he
must wait now until she came in again, for she was busy to-day washing
Lizzie's and Ludvig's clothes.

In rushed the aforesaid children, his equals in point of age; the one
was drawing a large saddled horse after him, the other was carrying two
large, dressed dolls. They had been sent out by their mother to play
with Nikolai. And they were soon in full gallop round the nursery.
Gee-up! gee-up!--Nikolai drew, and Ludvig rode--hi! gee-up! And at last
Nikolai wanted to ride too; he had been drawing for such a long time.
But Ludvig would not get down, so Nikolai dropped the bridle and pulled
him off the horse by one leg.

"You ragged boy! How dare you?"

"Ragged boy! Ragged boy yourself!" It ended with a fling up on to the
bed, behind which Ludvig entrenched himself howling, while his sister
took his part and joined in.

"What is the matter, what is the matter, dears?" cried Barbara, hurrying
in. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself, Nikolai, behaving like that to the
Consul's children! You'd better try it on! There Ludvig--there, there,
Lizzie--he shan't hurt you! Just do what they want, do you hear,
Nikolai!"

And then Barbara had to lament over Ludvig's starched collar, which had
got crumpled.

"Come here, my precious boy. Come now, and then you shall play again
directly."

She took him up on her knee. "It's my own precious boy, it is, who's so
good! There, hold his blouse, Nikolai, and you shall see such a fine
boy, and so good, so good!"

"Show him my Sunday clothes, Barbara, and the patent leather shoes!" And
Nikolai was allowed to look into the drawers at all Ludvig's and
Lizzie's dresses and sashes and fine underclothes, and to peep into the
toy-cupboard to be bewildered by all the old drums and trumpets and
headless men and horses, and tin soldiers, and Noah's arks, with their
belongings, all of which, Barbara said, they had been given because they
were so good.

There was a pile of things in the lower part of the cupboard, so that
Nikolai could understand that they must have been very, very good, and
that his mother, too--and at this he felt a bitter disappointment--must,
in return, be very, very fond of them. They must be very different
children to what he was, if they never deserved a whipping, but always
playthings. He became quite tired and downcast, as he stood there. If he
ever met Ludvig anywhere, he would pay him ou