"Vat is it you came so soon?" she said. "You must to dinner stay. I kill dis for you,—for your dinner, I not tink you come till sun high."
"Oh, stay! stay, Nell, let's stay!" cried Rob, who had tasted Ulrica's stewed chicken once before, and had never forgotten how good it was. Ulrica always boiled her chickens with a few cranberries, as they cook it in Sweden. You would not think it would be good: but it is delicious.
Nelly thought a minute.
"It will not make us any later than if we stayed at Mr. Kleesman's," she said. "Yes, I think we will stay."
Ulrica clapped her hands when Nelly said this.
"Goot! goot!" she said, "mine child." And she looked at Nelly with tears in her eyes, as she so often did. Then she gave Rob the book of Swedish pictures to look at, and he threw himself at full length on the floor with it. You could have eaten off the boards of Ulrica's house, she kept them so clean. Nelly sat in the wooden rocking-chair, and watched Ulrica getting the dinner. Pretty soon Nellie began to nod; and in a few minutes she was fast asleep. Ulrica took her up in her great, strong arms, as easily as if she were a baby, and carried her across the room and laid her on the bed.
"Hullo!" said Rob, when he looked up from his book and saw Ulrica carrying Nelly: "what's the matter with Nell?"
"Sh! sh! make not noise," whispered Ulrica. "She haf sleep. She haf tire in the sun."
"We got up before four o'clock," whispered Rob: "but I ain't sleepy a mite."
"Dat iss, that you are man and not girl," said Ulrica; which pleased Rob immensely.