"Yes, but why? Tell me now, what you do and why you have to spoil everything?" demanded Kaetheli, rather huffed, for she could not yet get over the fact that she had crawled all for nothing into the incomparable hiding-place in the goat-shed. "I will tell you, Kaetheli, for you must not think that I purposely spoil everything for you. I did not think of that," said Erick, excusing himself. "Do you see, there is a beautiful song which my mother sang every day, and also on the last day, and I should so much like to hear that song again. But no one sings it, and I may listen wherever I like, I hear only other things. Oh, if I could only hear that song again, just once!" Now Kaetheli saw how Erick's eyes filled with big tears, and in an instant her anger turned into pity. "You must not be sad on that account, for I can help you," she said readily. "I know so many songs; tell me what the name of yours is, then I will say it to you right away." "I try to remember it all the time, but I cannot get the words together; but I remember well the melody. Do you think you could guess the words, if I sing the melody?" "Of course I can, you just sing on," encouraged Kaetheli, with confidence. Erick sang a line, and then another, and still a bit, then he could not go further. Kaetheli, surprised, shook her head. "I never have heard that song, but perhaps we sing it, only a little differently. I am sure I shall find it. Tell me what it is about, about people or animals?" "At the beginning about flowers, green trees, you know, with those beautiful branches and--" "Stop, I know all," Kaetheli interrupted him; "now I am going to sing it to you." And with a firm voice and full tones Kaetheli began seriously: "'Three roses in the garden, Three birds are in the wood, In summer it is lovely In winter it is good.' "Is that it?" she now asked, full of confidence that it must be it. But Erick shook his head decidedly, and said: "No, no, that is not my song, there is no similarity between it and what you sing." Kaetheli was much surprised. "But the flowers and the trees are in the song," she said, "or perhaps, Erick, you have forgotten the song and do not know how it goes?" "Indeed, indeed I know," the latter assured her. "You see, first there is a great feast, where they all come and throw down many flowers and wreaths because a great lord is coming and--" "Perhaps a count," Kaetheli interposed. "Perhaps so." "Oh! now I know it! If you only had spoke of the count right away; now listen!" And again Kaetheli began with full tones: "'I stood on a high mountain And looked into a vale, A little ship came swimming Three counts did hoist the sail.' "Well, Erick?" But Erick shook his head even more and said sadly: "Not at all, not a bit like it! Perhaps the song is lost and no one knows anything about it."