, sister," he called out; "you rowed like a man!"

He had never called her "sister" before. Alma's eyes filled with
tears. She moved as if to row after her brother.

"Uncle Pelle will be expecting us. I think I see him there waiting,"
said Nono. "We must go for him." Nono was decided. This was the
errand on which he was sent, and the duty must be done, even though
Miss Alma might be displeased with him. Alma looked impatient, but
after a moment she began to move her pair of oars willingly as she
said, "You are right, Nono," and relapsed into silence.

When Pelle came on board, Nono did not say anything about what had
happened until Pelle himself, who had seen the whole from the shore,
asked what it all meant, and who the boys were who had so mismanaged
their boat, "green hands" as he could see.

"You can tell him, Nono," said Alma. "He will have to know it all.
But I am so glad Frans was not drowned!"

Alma looked straight forward over the water, while Nono, as kindly as
he could, told in a few words all the sad story to Pelle, who listened
in silence; but towards the close a strange gleam of intelligence came
into his eyes. Pelle never talked if he were not in the humour, and
now Nono was not surprised that no answer came from the old man's
firmly-closed lips.

Alma was the first to step ashore. With a hurried nod to her
companions she moved off swiftly towards her home.

"Now pull for town--pull, Nono!" said Pelle, with unusual energy,
taking up himself the oars that Alma had laid down.

Pull they did, tired as were Nono's young arms, and feeble as were
Pelle's. The distance was short by water, and the two were soon at the
magistrate's office, where Pelle expected to find the delinquent boys.
They were already there. Their wet clothes had been changed, and they
were for the moment in private conversation with the colonel, who had
been summoned immediately on their arrival.

In the pocket of the dripping coat that had been worn by Frans a bundle
of the missing bank-notes had been found, carelessly rolled in a bit of
yellow wrapping-paper. This all the by-standers about the door had
heard, for the proceedings at the country seat of justice seem to be
considered to belong to the small public of the neighbourhood.

While Pelle was waiting without, Nono having been sent back at once
with the boat, the colonel was holding Frans by the hand, and talking
to him from the depths of his stirred paternal h