“Perhaps you can go, Oscar.  If you don’t think of any better way, I’ll tell you what I think you could do.  When I came away from home, Mr. Bickel asked me to look about here and find out what sort of factories there were in this neighborhood, and send him word so that he might know whether he could form any business relations with them.  I have not been able to do anything about it.  Perhaps you could go and visit the factory, and then write to Mr. Bickel about it”

“I always said you were the cleverest girl in the world,” cried Oscar, with delight; for he saw the way now clear before him.  That afternoon, when they all went out to the court-yard and garden for their out-door games, he ran off to the factory.  The dwelling-house stood not far from the canal, surrounded by a pretty flower-garden.  Under the trees two lads were playing ball.  They played with such zeal that Oscar, looking over the hedge, became absorbed in watching them, and entirely forgot his object He was a good player himself; but such throws!

“Bravo!” he cried; and the boys looked round.  “Come and play too,” called one of them.

Oscar asked nothing better.  Hardly had he entered the yard than piff! paff! the play began again.  Such a game he had never had before, nor with such players.  The boys were as well pleased as he; and they played on till the big factory bell rang for close of work, and Oscar remembered that he must go home.  He wanted to make acquaintance with these boys.  The three playmates had, to be sure, already struck up a friendship, but they did not even know each other’s names.  Oscar now told his, and asked theirs; and learned that they were named Fink; the sons of the family who lived in the large house.  They were from St. Gall, and were warm-hearted, wide awake young fellows.  They made friends with this new acquaintance from Switzerland with all their hearts, and Oscar was as ardent as they.  What enterprises they would plan and carry out together!  But there was no time to stop and talk about it now.  He could only hint to them that he had a project of founding a great society of Swiss, a kind of Swiss Confederation, in which he wished them to take part.  They received the idea with enthusiasm, and, having fixed a time for meeting his new friends again, Oscar returned to Rosemount with a happy heart.  But what kind of a factory that was of Mr. Fink’s, he knew as little as before; he had forgotten to ask.

From this time Oscar was always missing during the time that the children were left to themselves to play as they pleased out-of-doors.  No one minded his absence; Fred was so busy with his collections that he thought of nothing else; Fani and Emma were absorbed in their own plans and only wanted to be let alone; and Elsli, feeling that her society was not important to any one, sat by herself on the bench under the lindens, occupied with her own thoughts by the hour together.  Sometimes she grew unhappy