A powerful twitching showed itself at the corners of his mouth, and a certain stammering might be noticed in his speech, although he stood perfectly still, and appeared to observe nothing; while the little rascals, who had expected a terrible explosion from their well-laid train, stole off to a distance; but oh, wonder! the Candidate stood stock-still, and seemed not at all aware that anything was going on in his coat-laps.
All this while, however, there was in him such a powerful inclination to laugh that he hastened to relate an anecdote which should give him the opportunity of doing so.

And whether it was the nomads of Mrs.Gunilla which diverted him from his system, or the visit of the little herd of nomads to his pockets, true it is there was an end of his philosophy for that evening.

Beyond this, he appeared now to wish by cheerful discourse to entertain Mrs.Gunilla, in which he perfectly succeeded; and so mild and indulgent was he towards her, that Elise began to question with herself whether Mrs.Gunilla's mode of argument were not the best and the most successful.
The children stood not far off, and observed all the actions of Jacobi.
"If he goes out, he will feel the cushion," said they.

"He will fetch a book! Now he comes--ah!" The Candidate really went out for a book from his room, but he stepped with the most stoical repose, though with a miserably backward-pulled coat, through the astonished troop of children, and left the room.
When he returned, the coat sate quite correctly; the cushion evidently was not there.

The astonishment of the children rose to the highest pitch, and there was no end to their conjectures.