I'll see if we can't find something among the
children's clothes that they can do without."
The end of it was that Merle levied toll on all the parcels from home,
both rice and raisins and cakes, and made up little packets of them to
send round by him. That was Merle's way; let her alone and she would hit
upon something.
The snow creaked and crackled underfoot as Peer went off on his errand.
A starry sky and a biting wind, and light upon light from the windows of
the farms scattered over the dark hillsides. High above all, against the
sky, there was one little gleam that might be a cottage window, or might
be a star.
Peer was flushed and freshened up when he came back into the warmth of
the room. And a chorus of joyful shouts was raised when Merle announced
to the children: "Father's going to bath you all to-night."
The sawed-off end of a barrel was the bathing-tub, and Peer stood in the
kitchen with his sleeves rolled up, holding the naked little bodies as
they sprawled about in the steaming water.
Mother was busy with something or other in the sitting-room. But it was
a great secret, and the children were very mysterious about it. "No, no,
you mustn't go in," they said to little Asta, who went whimpering for
her mother to the door.
And later in the evening, when the Christmas-tree was lit up, and the
windows shone white with frost, there were great doings all about the
sitting room floor. Louise got her ski on and immediately fell on her
face; Lorentz, astride of the new sleigh, was shouting "Hi, hi!--clear
the course there!", and over in a corner sat little Asta, busy putting
her baby to bed and singing it to sleep.
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