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"Yes," said Hans.
"Can you make one for me?" asked Hilda.
"Yes, I can. I'll do it with pleasure, Miss Hilda," answered Hans. "Very well," said Hilda. "And the money that I have given you will be for your work."
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5. Next morning Peter, a boy from Hilda's class, asked Hans to make a wooden necklace for his sister. Now Hans had money for a second pair of skates. After school he skated to Amsterdam on his old wooden skates and bought two pairs of good steel skates.
At last the day of the race came. Many men, women and children put on their best warm clothes and came to the canal to watch the races.
There were forty skaters, twenty boys and twenty girls. The boys and girls had to skate in turn until one girl and one boy won two races. They stood in a long line at the start.
6. When the signal was given, the girls began to race. Hilda and Gretel with three other girls were soon in front, but Gretel won the first race. When the boys ran, Karl won the first race. Then the girls ran again. Hilda won the second race. Peter won the boys' second race. When the girls started the third race, they all ran fast. But little Gretel was the fastest again. So she won two races. Now the boys were in a line at the start of their third race. But Peter couldn't put on his skates; the strap on one of the skates was broken.
Hans ran up to Peter and said, "Take my strap. I will not skate this time."
"No, Hans," cried Peter. "Thank you very much, but I can't do that."
"If you call me a friend," said Hans, "you just take my strap. Be quick."
So Peter took the strap. They all ran very fast. Peter was the first. So Peter, like Gretel, won two races.
He and Gretel became the King and Queen of the Young Skaters of their town. All the people clapped their hands when Peter and Gretel got the silver skates.
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