n giving orders.

"Battiste," she said very firmly, "where is the spout that is used to fill
the tubs in the wash-house?"

Battiste lifted his face from his seeds, and looked curiously at Lili as
she stood there, as if he were waiting to hear the question again; for he
always took things moderately. At last he replied with a question in his
turn:

"Did your mamma send you to ask me?"

"No, I came of my own self."

"Then I don't know where the spout is."

"But, Battiste, I only want a little water from the spring; why can't I
have just that?"

"I know that kind of a little bird," said Battiste, grumblingly, "now a
little water, and now a little fire, and always mischief. Can't have it.
Can't give it to you."

"Oh well, I don't care," said Lili, and went straight to the kitchen,
where Trine was scouring pans.

"Trine, dear," said she coaxingly, "come and give me the water-spout.
Battiste won't let us have it. You'll get it for us, won't you?"

"Of course I will," said the maid, "a little water you might be allowed,
I'm sure. But you must wait till the old bear is out of the way; and then
I'll go and get you what you want."

After a while Trine saw Battiste coming from the barn; he went past the
house, down toward the meadows.

"Come along now," she said, and taking Lili's hand, she ran with her to
the wash-house, lifted the long wooden spout from its hiding-place, put
one end into the log, and the other into a small tub. Then she explained
to Lili that when they had enough water, they could push the spout away
from the log, and when they wanted it again, they could lift it up and put
it into the log themselves. But now she must go back to her work.

Away went Trine, and now the preparations for the voyage could begin. The
children took the lower end of the spout out of the tub, and put it down
upon the floor. Lili got into the new ark, and then Wili, and then they
lifted in the cat and the dog. Noah and his wife sat side by side, and
rejoiced over their safety and over the delightful voyage they should make
on the rising waters of the flood, as the stream from the spout flowed
merrily in upon the wash-house floor. The water rose very fast. Now, yes,
now the ark fairly floated, and Noah and his wife shouted for joy! The
flood had begun, and they were floating backward and forth upon the
surface of the water!

The wash-house floor was lower by several steps than the level of the
ground outside. The water r