246 Hans Brinker

XXX
HOMEWARD BOUND

N Monday morning, bright and early, our boys bade
farewell to their kind entertainers, and started on
their homeward journey.

Peter lingered a while at the lion-guarded door; for he and
his sister had many parting words to say.

As Ben saw them bidding each other “ good-by,” he could
not help feeling that kisses, as well as clocks, were wonderfully
alike everywhere. The English kiss that his sister Jenny
gave when he left home had said the same thing to him that
the vrouw Van Gend’s Dutch kiss said to Peter. Ludwig
had taken his share of the farewell in the most matter-of-fact
manner possible, and, though he loved his sister well, had
winced a little at her making such a child of him as to put an
extra kiss “‘ for mother ” upon his forehead.

He was already upon the canal with Carl and Jacob.
Were they thinking about sisters or kisses? Not a bit of it,

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They were so happy to be on skates once more, so impatient
to dart at once into the very heart of Broek, that they spun
and wheeled about like crazy fellows, relieving themselves,
meantime, by muttering something about “ Peter and donder ”
not worth translating.

Even Lambert and Ben, who had been waiting at the street-
corner, began to grow impatient.