e at
least six in a day."

"Yes, yes, Papa"--it was now Wili's and Lili's turn--"and we have found
such a hard riddle, so hard that even Rolf couldn't guess it. It is really
a rebus."

"If you will wait long enough I can get it, I am sure," said Rolf.

"We seem to have a riddle in every comer," said their father. "I believe
we have a riddle-fever, and one catches it from another. We really need a
regular guesser in the house, to do nothing but guess riddles."

"I wish I could find such a person," said Rolf, sighing, for to be forever
making riddles for somebody who would listen with interest and guess with
intelligence, seemed to him the most desirable thing in the world.

When dinner was over, the family went merrily into the garden under the
apple-tree, and seated themselves in a circle. The mother and Miss
Hanenwinkel and the girls were armed with sewing and knitting work. Little
Hunne also had a queer-looking bit of stuff in his hand upon which he was
trying to work with some red worsted. He said he wanted to embroider a
horse-blanket for Jule. Jule had brought a book at his mother's request,
to read aloud to them.

Rolf sat a little way off under the ash-tree, and studied his Latin
lesson. Wili sat by his side, meaning to study his little piece, but first
he looked at the birds in the branches, and then at the laborers in the
field, and then at the red apples upon the tree, for Wili loved visible
things, and it was only with the greatest difficulty, and generally with
Lili's assistance, that he could get the invisible into his little head.
Consequently, his afternoon study usually turned to a continuous
observation of the surrounding landscape.

Jule also seemed inclined to pass his time in looking about him instead
of reading aloud, for he did not open his book, but allowed his eyes to
wander in all directions, particularly towards his sister.

"Paula," he said at last, "the expression of your countenance to-day is as
if you were a wandering collection of vexations."

"Oh, do read to us, Jule; then we shall have something more agreeable than
these similes which nobody can understand the meaning of."

"It would be nicer if you would read, Jule," added her mother, "but I must
say too, Paula, that you have been for the last few days so short and
snappish that I should really like to know what is amiss with you. You
seem out of sorts with every one about you."

"But mamma, with whom can I have any real com