decided by
him.

The authorized messengers who had been sent to the little inn where
Pelle had stopped came back with the innkeeper and the owner of the
boat that had been hired by the boys. From them it was easily learned
that the culprits had been seen at the time mentioned by Pelle, and had
been considered suspicious strangers, especially the older lad, who was
foolishly free with his money, and had a bold, bad look about him. The
younger boy was described as cast down, and evidently not on good terms
with his companion.

The case did not come to a public trial. A large part of the money
taken had been recovered, the note paid for the boat being identified
as one of the missing bills. The merchant who had been robbed declined
prosecuting the offender, as his loss was fully made good to him by the
colonel. It was, however, exacted in the agreement that Knut should be
sent out of the country at once.

The pastor took Knut home with him, and gave him such a kind, serious
talk that the poor lad's heart was quite melted, and he, sincere for
the time at least, promised to try to lead a better life.

"He will only go to ruin if he is sent to prison," Pelle had said.
"May God help the boy in his own way! I will try to help him in mine.
Who knows what I might have been if I had kept on as a sailor!" So
Pelle, for the time a prominent man, went round in the neighbourhood
and collected money enough to send the guilty boy over the Atlantic to
begin life again in the far West.

Karin wrote a short letter to her "son in America," full of love to
Erik, and with a request that he would do what he could for Knut to
help him on in the right way. Oke penned a full description of the
whole affair, which he declared was written so plainly that anybody
ought to understand it, let alone a Swede like Erik, born in the best
country in the world, though he did now seem to be more than half an
American.

A neat suit of clothes had been sent to Frans by the careful
housekeeper, so that he looked quite like himself when he took his seat
beside his father for his homeward drive.

Oke had made haste to tell all the neighbourhood of the success of
Pelle in the church, and Alma had had her share of the good news.
Whether Frans would be allowed to return home with his father she had
not yet heard. She sat anxiously watching at the window, when there
was a sound of carriage-wheels in the avenue. There were two persons
in the carria