"I'll sit here!" said Ovind quickly, hopped across the room, and set himself down by her side. Now she lifted her arm and looked at him from under her elbows; then he did the same. This went on till they all laughed again. "Be quiet, you naughty, troublesome, giggling gewgaws!--Come be good little children now!" It was the voice of the schoolmaster, who, if he stormed, was sure to be calm before he finished. The children were soon quiet again, until each began to con his lesson aloud. Then the treble voices sounded high, while the bass drummed louder and louder to overpower them, and one and another chimed in between, till Ovind thought he had never had such fun in all his days. "Is it always like this?" he whispered to Marit. "Yes, it's always like this," she said. By and bye they had to go up to the schoolmaster to read, then a little boy was set to hear them, and they soon found a chance to slip back to their corner again. "I've got a little goat now, too," said Marit. "Have you?" "Yes, but it's not so nice as yours." "Why haven't you come up oftener to the ridge?" "Grandfather was afraid lest I should fall down." "But it isn't so high." "Grandfather won't let me come though." "My mother knows so many songs," said Ovind. "Oh! so does grandfather." "Yes, but not the same as mother sings." "Grandfather knows a dancing song!--Will you hear it?" "Oh yes!" "Then come further away so that the schoolmaster shan't see us." He came quite close to her, and she said the song over and over again, till he knew it by heart, and this was the first that he learnt at the school,-- "Dance! cried the fiddle In tuning the strings, Then suddenly upsprings A youth and cries 'Ho!' 'Hey!' said Erasmus, Embracing fair Randi, 'Come hasten to give me The kiss that you owe!' 'Nay,' answered Randi, But slipped away shyly, And nodding, said slyly, 'From that you may know!'" "Up youngsters," cried the schoolmaster, "this is the first day at school, and you may go early, but now we must have prayers and singing." Up rushed the children, laughing and talking and scampering over the floor. "Silence! you little good-for-nothing chatter-boxes,--be good and walk nicely over the floor my children!" said the schoolmaster, whereupon they quietly took their places, the schoolmaster went in front and said a short prayer, and then they sang. He led in a deep bass voice, and all the children stood with folded hands. Ovind and Marit stood near the door--they also folded their hands, but they could not sing. So ended the first day at school. CHAP. III. THE SCHOOLMASTER'S STORY.