"Let me try," said Peter, leaning over his shoulder. "Why, man, it's perfectly distinct. It's T--H--it's T----" "Well!" exclaimed Lambert, triumphantly, "if you can read it so easily, let's hear it, T--H, what?" "T. H--T. H. Oh! why, Thomas Higgs, to be sure," replied Peter, pleased to be able to decipher it at last. Then, feeling they had been behaving rather unceremoniously, he turned toward Hans-- Peter turned pale! What was the matter with the people? Raff and Hans had started up, and were staring at him, in glad amazement. Gretel looked wild. Dame Brinker, with an unlighted candle in her hand, was rushing about the room, crying, "Hans! Hans! where's your hat? oh, the meester! Oh, the meester!" "Birmingham! Higgs!" exclaimed Hans. "Did you say Higgs? we've found him! I must be off." "You see, young masters," panted the dame, at the same time snatching Hans' hat from the bed, "you see--we know him--he's our--no, he isn't--I mean--oh, Hans, you must go to Amsterdam this minute!" "Good-night, mynheers," panted Hans, radiant with sudden joy, "good-night--you will excuse me, I must go. Birmingham--Higgs--Higgs--Birmingham," and seizing his hat from his mother, and his skates from Gretel, he rushed from the cottage. What could the boys think, but that the entire Brinker family had suddenly gone crazy! They bade an embarrassed "good-evening," and turned to go. But Raff stopped them. "This Thomas Higgs, young masters, is a--a person." "Ah!" exclaimed Peter, quite sure that Raff was the most crazy of all. "Yes--a person--a--ahem!--a friend. We thought him dead. I hope it is the same man. In England, did you say?" "Yes, Birmingham," answered Peter; "it must be Birmingham in England." "I know the man," said Ben, addressing Lambert. "His factory is not four miles from our place--a queer fellow--still as an oyster--don't seem at all like an Englishman. I've often seen him--a solemn-looking chap, with magnificent eyes. He made a beautiful writing-case once for me to give Jenny on her birthday--makes pocketbooks, telescope-cases, and all kinds of leather work." As this was said in English, Van Mounen of course translated it for the benefit of all concerned, noticing meanwhile that neither Raff nor his vrouw looked very miserable though Raff was trembling, and the dame's eyes were swimming with tears. You may believe the doctor heard every word of the story, when later in the evening he came driving back with Hans. "The three young gentlemen had been gone sometime," Dame Brinker said, "but like enough, by hurrying, it would be easy to find them coming out from the Lecture, wherever that was."