"The Union of Kalmar took place in 1397, when Norway and Sweden came under the rule of Denmark." Gradually it was coming back to her.
"And who was the ruler of Denmark then?" asked the teacher. "You should know that, Greta, better than anyone else in the class."
Greta's cheeks flushed a bright pink. How could she have forgotten?
"Queen Margrete brought about the Union of Kalmar," explained Greta. "That is why she was the greatest queen Denmark has ever had." The other children smiled when Greta said this. They all knew that her name was really Margrete and that she had been named for this famous queen of long ago.
Greta thought it was the longest day of her life, but school was finally over. Chouse was waiting for her at the door when she came out of the building. He was such a faithful little playmate, how could she bear to send him away? Well, maybe she wouldn't have to.
She got on her bicycle and rode home just as fast as her legs could pedal. Before she went into the house she looked again in the barn to see if the kittens had, in some wonderful way, come back to their bed of straw. But the bed was still empty.
Hans helped her search every part of the large barn—where the horses were kept, where the cows were kept, where the pigs were kept, and where the hay was kept. They took sticks and poked around in the hay. At last the children decided that the kittens simply were not in the barn at all.
"Let's go look in the chicken house, Greta," suggested Hans.
So they looked all through the chicken house just as carefully as they had looked in the barn. But still there was no sign of the dear little kittens.