“Don’t you see, you mar-plot, that this hubbub is all your fault? and that you are very provoking?  What do you gain by it?  Nothing.  What do you lose?  Everything.  But to show you that I am not like you, I propose to you to put the two couplets together, and use both.  Luckily they rhyme.  See how this will do:—­

    “Music the truest pleasure gives;
      So sing we merrily—­
    ’Our Fatherland shall ever live,
      And Freedom never die.’”

Feklitus was pacified; which was fortunate, for nothing would have induced him to give up his verse, whose great merit in his eyes was just that it was his; he had remembered it, repeated it, proposed it; so it was naturally better than any other could be.  The meeting was informed of the compromise, applauded it, and immediately adjourned, dispersing in all directions, and making the quiet summer evening resound with their merry shouts.  Oscar alone went his way with an air of deep depression, and with anger in his heart.  Fani had again disappeared directly after school, as he had often done before, and had not waited for the meeting, though he knew how much Oscar cared to have him there.  Fani certainly took everything too lightly, Oscar thought; it was his only great fault; he went too easily from one thing to another; and Oscar knew too who aided him in this changeableness, and had indeed just the same failing herself; and that was his own sister Emma.  Indeed, the girl was the worse of the two, for she was continually proposing new schemes, and urging Fani to help her carry them out.  Oscar knew all this, and was very much vexed with Fani for yielding so easily to Emma’s persuasions.  And to think of his disappearing so this afternoon, when he had relied on his support at the meeting!  It was too provoking!

As Oscar drew near home, he came suddenly upon his brother Fred, who was kneeling down in the vegetable garden and digging in the earth with both hands, as if seeking a hidden treasure.

“Where is Emma?” asked Oscar; adding hurriedly, “Oh, don’t touch me with those hands!”

“Well, I should scarcely mistake you for a grub, and that’s what I want to ‘touch’ with these hands,” said Fred, rather scornfully.  “As to Emma, I don’t know where she is; but one thing I do know, and that is that one of you two has carried off all the paper again, so that when a fellow wants to do his exercises he may whistle for it!  I know that much.”

“I haven’t used any,” said Oscar; “but Emma is getting up some new scheme; I am sure of that, and I suppose she has taken the paper.  I don’t know what will happen if somebody doesn’t put a stop to her carrying-on!”

With which negative kind of a prophecy, Oscar went into the house.

CHAPTER IV.

Farther proceedings in Buchberg.

Oscar’s suspicions were correct; as soon as the school-house door was opened, the nimble Fani had slipped out among the very first; and had joined Emma, who at once claimed his attention by saying:—­