"O but just look, Paulchen," said Luischen excitedly, "there is something written on the rocks over there; perhaps the Easter Hare lives there. Paulchen, you can read a little, do see if you can make out what is written." Paulchen read: "I am the Master Easter Hare Lay eggs, in plenty, everywhere." "Come along, run, we will knock at the door," said Luischen joyfully. So they went up to the rock and knocked. "Come in," said a clear voice. They went in and turned to the door on the right from which the voice had come. They entered a comfortable room, and there on a cosy easy-chair, there sat father Easter Hare, who had just put on his spectacles to examine the eggs which his son, who was about seven years old, had painted. "Good morning, dear Mr Easter Hare, we have come to thank you for the lovely eggs," said the children. "_Dear, dear_," said Mr Easter Hare, "you found them of course in your garden, or----?" "Alas, no, we have no home, we are orphans; the people in the orphanage did not treat us kindly, so we ran away, and meant to seek our fortune in the wide world," said the children. "Then we were so lucky as to find these beautiful eggs in the fields over there!" "Dear me, so you are orphans!--well then perhaps you would like to stay here with us and learn painting and housekeeping," said Mr Easter Hare. "Oh yes indeed, we should simply love to!" answered the children, "but where is your wife? Perhaps she will be able to teach us to be of some use in the household." "Well, well, my wife is in the kitchen cooking cabbage, and carrots, and making a famous salad." "Oh!" said both the children, "may we help her dress the salad?" "Certainly, my wife will be very pleased to find that you can be so useful; there, just opposite in the passage, is a door that leads into the kitchen where my wife is busy." The children followed his directions and went into the kitchen, and there sat Mrs Easter Hare. "Good morning, Mrs Easter Hare," said the children politely, curtsying and bowing, "we have come to help you in the household, and to stay with you till we are grown up; but now please let us make the salad." "Well, that is very kind of you, I'm sure, to want to help me," said Mrs Easter Hare, and the children set to work at once. After this the children helped her every day in the kitchen in the morning, and in the afternoon they learnt from father Easter Hare how to paint the eggs smoothly and prettily, and how to read and write; for the Easter Hare is educated, you must know, and far more intelligent than ordinary hares. When they grew up and went out into the world again, Paulchen became a celebrated artist and lived in the artist colony at Cronberg, and little Luischen married, and became an exemplary housewife; but their best friends throughout their lives were always MR AND MRS EASTER HARE. THE NIXY LAKE