Nikolai, too, often had leave to go out to the country house with the kitchen cart, which had come in to make the morning purchases.
And there he would sit, while the cart rumbled and jolted along the road, smart and clean, head and body respectively combed and scoured like a copper kettle that has been cleaned with sand and lye.

He could not sit still a minute; he talked and asked questions--always about the horse, the wonderful brown horse--whether it was the best or the second best, if it could go faster than the railway train, or who and what it could beat.
Then the cart turned--so much too soon--into the yard in front of the kitchen door, and he was led through the passage by the man-servant to the nursery.
"I hope you have rubbed your shoes?
You might have had the sense, Lars, not to bring the boy in that way, with such shoes as those!" His mother took him and set him on a chair.
And then he was given bread-and-butter and cracknels and milk.

But he must wait now until she came in again, for she was busy to-day washing Lizzie's and Ludvig's clothes.
In rushed the aforesaid children, his equals in point of age; the one was drawing a large saddled horse after him, the other was carrying two large, dressed dolls.

They had been sent out by their mother to play with Nikolai.

And they were soon in full gallop round the nursery.
Gee-up! gee-up!--Nikolai drew, and Ludvig rode--hi! gee-up! And at last Nikolai wanted to ride too; he had been drawing for such a long time.
But Ludvig would not get down, so Nikolai dropped the bridle and pulled him off the horse by one leg.
"You ragged boy! How dare you ?" "Ragged boy! Ragged boy yourself!" It ended with a fling up on to the bed, behind which Ludvig entrenched himself howling, while his sister took his part and joined in.
"What is the matter, what is the matter, dears ?" cried Barbara, hurrying in.