So the riddle-maker was now caught in his own meshes.

“Well, at least leave me room to guess in,” cried he, striking about him with his arms to make room.

“You can’t guess anything,” cried little Hunne contemptuously, “I am going to Jule—­he knows.”

Rolf took the little slip of yellowish paper that Lili was waving back and forth, and looked at it in surprise.  In a childish hand-writing that he had never seen before, were written the following words,

    “Come lay your hand
     Joined thus we
     Each the other
     That our union
     But behold the
     That our future
     We will cut our
     Half for you and
     But we still will
     That our halves
     And with us
     Our friendship.”

“It is probably a rebus,” said Rolf thoughtfully.  “I shall guess it after a little while.  Just let me stay alone long enough to think it out.”

There was not much time left for this however, for the dinner-bell sounded and all the family assembled in the large hall for the mid-day meal.

“What nice thing has my little Hunne done to-day?” asked the father, when they were at last all busy over their plates.

“I made a splendid riddle, Papa, but Rolf never tries to guess my riddles, and I couldn’t find Jule, and the rest would not listen to me at all.”

“Yes, Papa,” interrupted Rolf! “and I too have made three or four splendid ones, but no one has time to guess them, and those who have time enough are so stupid that there is no use in trying to get any answer from them.  When Jule has guessed one he thinks he has done enough, and I can make at least six in a day.”

“Yes, yes, Papa”—­it was now Wili’s and Lili’s turn—­“and we have found such a hard riddle, so hard that even Rolf couldn’t guess it.  It is really a rebus.”

“If you will wait long enough I can get it, I am sure,” said Rolf.

“We seem to have a riddle in every comer,” said their father.  “I believe we have a riddle-fever, and one catches it from another.  We really need a regular guesser in the house, to do nothing but guess riddles.”

“I wish I could find such a person,” said Rolf, sighing, for to be forever making riddles for somebody who would listen with interest and guess with intelligence, seemed to him the most desirable thing in the world.

When dinner was over, the family went merrily into the garden under the apple-tree, and seated themselves in a circle.  The mother and Miss Hanenwinkel and the girls were armed with sewing and knitting work.  Little Hunne also had a queer-looking bit of stuff in his hand upon which he was trying to work with some red worsted.  He said he wanted to embroider a horse-blanket for Jule.  Jule had brought a book at his mother’s request, to read aloud to them.