bed. The
two older boys had all they could do to keep the house in order, so she
let the younger children go out by themselves; and sometimes they got
into trouble, for they were foolish little things. As she spoke, the
mother looked with anxious eyes at Lenchen, as she stood in her
mud-stiffened clothes.

"Can I help you in any way?" asked Elsli. She spoke timidly, for the
woman's tone and manner compelled respect.

"We have never been obliged to beg," was the reply. "We help ourselves
as well as we can. But since I have been ill, it has been very hard.
What help could a young lady like you give us?"

"I am not a young lady. I can take off Lenchen's frock and wash it, and
hang it out to dry," replied Elsli, eagerly.

"Your dress shows that you are a young lady," answered the sick woman,
evidently much surprised; and she glanced searchingly at Elsli from
head to foot.

The dress, which was one of Nora's, was of soft woollen material,
trimmed with silk bands.

"It is not mine; it was only given me to wear," she said.

Suddenly the woman felt strongly drawn towards the friendly girl. She
thought she must be a foreigner. Her way of speaking, her whole
appearance had something unusual about it. Perhaps some one had taken
pity on her, and had lent her clothes because she was so good. So she
thanked Elsli and accepted her offer. Without hesitation Elsli set to
work, and it was easy to see that it was not for the first time. In a
trice she had freed Lenchen from her shell, and dressed her in a little
jacket that hung on the wall. Then she took the stiff frock upon her arm
and went with the children into the kitchen. She drew water in a wooden
bucket, and put the two pairs of little feet to soak, after removing the
dirty shoes and socks. When they were clean and dried, she sent the
children back into the other room, while she washed out the dress. They
went very obediently, but Lucas called back to her to hurry and come to
them as soon as the washing was done. The other boys now came into the
kitchen, desirous to scrape acquaintance with this novel visitor.

When Tolf saw how much at home the stranger seemed to be in her work, he
said:--

"Get our supper ready too, won't you? If you don't, we shall have to
wait till father comes home; and he doesn't know how to cook very well,
either."

"Yes," chimed in Heini; "and once he fell asleep when he was cooking, he
was so tired; and the potatoes were all burned up."

"Y