Nicholas himself in his long robes.
Kit and Kat flattened their noses against all the shop windows,
and looked at the toys and cakes.
"I wish St. Nicholas would bring me that," said kit, pointing to
a very large St. Nicholas cake.
"And I want some of those," Kat said, pointing to some cakes made
in the shapes of birds and fish.
Vrouw Vedder had gone with her basket on an errand. Father Vedder
and Kit and Kat walked slowly along, waiting for her. Soon there
was a great noise up the street. There were shouts, and the
clatter of wooden shoes.
"Look! Look!" cried Kit.
There, in the midst of the crowd, was a great white horse; and
riding on it was the good St. Nicholas himself! He had a long
white beard and red cheeks, and long robes, with a mitre on his
head; and he smiled at the children, who crowded around him and
followed him in a noisy procession down the street.
Behind St. Nicholas came a cart, filled with packages of all
sizes. The children were all shouting at once, "Give me a cake,
good St. Nicholas!" or, "Give me a new pair of shoes!" or
whatever each one wanted most.
"Where is he going?" asked Kit and Kat.
"He's carrying presents to houses where there are good girls and
boys," Father Vedder said. "For bad children, there is only a rod
in the shoe."
"I'm glad we're so good," said Kit.
"When will he come to our house?" asked Kat.
"Not until to-morrow," said Father Vedder. "But you must fill
your wooden shoes with beans or hay for his good horse, tonight;
and then perhaps he will come down the chimney and leave
something in them.
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