When the nurse came up to the bedside the little girl threw her arms about her neck and clung to her as no child had ever done before. A little tremor went through Back-Kaisa, and her voice was not real steady when she asked: “What’s the matter with Selma? Is her sick?” “I can’t walk, Back-Kaisa,” wailed the child. Then a pair of strong arms lifted her up as easily as if she were just a tiny kitten, and all at once the stern, serious-minded woman knew how to talk to a little child. “Naa--Selma mustn’t cry for that! Back-Kaisa’s going to carry Selma.” And with that it seemed as if all the little one’s troubles had blown away. She was no longer afraid or unhappy. What did it matter that she herself could not walk when Back-Kaisa would carry her! And nobody had to tell her; she knew that one who had a good strong friend like Back-Kaisa was not so badly off after all. II GRAND COMPANY JOHAN and Anna were driven nearly to distraction by the terrible commotion created by Selma’s illness. That one may well understand. Johan was then seven years of age, and learning to read under the tutelage of Herr Tyberg. He was a boy, of course, and almost regarded as the eldest child; though, to be sure, he had an elder brother. But the latter mostly stayed with his maternal grandparents at Filipstad, and was hardly ever at home. And now, all at once, it seemed that nobody had a thought for him--Johan--but only for the littlest girl. As for Anna--she was five, and she could already both sew and crochet. She was pretty to look at, too, and the elder daughter, and mamma’s pet. But what was the good of all that since Selma had gone and got sick? The grown-ups, you see, were so touched by the sight of a child who could not walk. “How will the poor little thing go through life?” they would sigh.---- “She’ll have to stay in the one place always, and never see anything of the world.”---- “She’ll never get married and she’ll never be able to support herself.”---- “It’s going to be cruelly hard for her, poor child.” They were all very tender and full of pity for the sick girl. Now _that_ Johan and Anna had nothing against; but folks didn’t have to forget that there were other children. The worst one of all, though, was Back-Kaisa. She carried Selma on her back, prattled with her, and told her she was a perfect little angel. And, indeed, Father and Mother and Granny and Auntie were not much better. Didn’t the clever old carpenter at Askersby have to make her a little wagon, so that Back-Kaisa might draw her about? And were Johan and Anna ever allowed to borrow that wagon to cart sand in?--No, no! That was for Selma’s use, and they mustn’t soil it.