Cornelli Part 18

"No, no, I don't want to see the book. Please take me to Dino now,"

Cornelli urged.

Mux pulled Cornelli away from the kitchen at last and, not far from there, opened a door.

"Are you coming at last, Cornelli?" Dino cried to her. He was sitting up in bed. He glanced happily at his approaching friend, and Cornelli, too, felt deep joy at seeing him again. The hours she had spent with him had been the only happy ones she had had all summer. Quickly sitting down by his bed, she began to relate to him everything that had happened in Iller-Stream since his departure. Dino asked many questions that Cornelli had to answer, and the time went by they knew not how.

Mux had disappeared. As long as he could not have his new friend's whole attention, he preferred to find out what was being prepared for dinner in the kitchen.

Now the mother entered the room.

"I have hardly seen you yet, dear child," she said, taking Cornelli's hand, "but I thought I would leave you and Dino undisturbed for a little while. You must have many things to talk over about your experiences and friends in Iller-Stream. Dino has looked forward so much to your visit. Please come to lunch now. Dino has to sleep a little while afterwards, and then you can go back to him again, if you wish."

A difficult moment had now come for Cornelli. She had secretly hoped that she would be able to spend all day alone with Dino, and that n.o.body else would notice her. Now she had to sit at table with Dino's mother and sisters. Mux, however, was her consolation; he seemed so confiding and so friendly. She had felt immediately to her great discomfort how different and how horrible she looked in comparison with these charming children. When she had stood in front of Nika, who was so very pretty, she felt sure that the elder girl must be filled with disgust at the sight of her, even if she did not show it. Mux had seen her peculiarity immediately and had remarked upon it. And now Agnes would be there, too.

That Agnes, as well as the proud-looking Nika, had a secret sorrow made Cornelli feel as if there were a bond between them. This gave her a little courage to follow Dino's mother, who was waiting in the doorway. When Cornelli entered Agnes was standing, full of expectation, in the middle of the room. Going up to the visitor, she shook her hand.

"I am so glad you came, Cornelli," she said with animation. "Dino has talked so much about you that we, too, wanted to meet you."

"I want to sit beside you," said Mux, dragging his chair to Cornelli's side.

"Just stay where you are! That is my seat," Agnes cut him short. She could not be misunderstood, for she pushed back the chair and Mux quite vigorously.

The mother had again gone out to the kitchen, so he could not get her help, which made him very angry.

"Yes, yes, you always want to order everybody around all the time,"

he cried out furiously, "and you even broke somebody on the wheel, once."

Now the mother entered.

"Oh, Mama, Mux is saying such frightful things. Shouldn't he go to bed?" Agnes called to her.

Mux was just gathering up his strength to fight against this proposed punishment, when the mother cut short their quarrel.

"No, no," she said kindly. "To-day Cornelli is here for the first time and it is a feast day for us. Mux shall not go to bed, but he must sit down quietly in his chair and say grace; then all will be well."

Mux was soon calmed by the soothing words and the good soup's delicious odor which penetrated his nostrils. So he said grace in quite a tolerable manner. Cornelli had been very much touched by his desire to sit beside her. She was anxious to do him a favor, too, and she tried to think of something that might please him.

Directly after lunch Nika and Agnes had to hurry off to school again and the mother had to supervise Trina's work, so Mux was entrusted with the task of entertaining Cornelli for a little while. That suited him exactly.

"Now, I'll show you that Agnes has really broken a man on the wheel,"

he said triumphantly.

"But I don't believe it, Mux. And why should the man have held still?"

asked Cornelli.

"You can read it here. See, it is written there!" said Mux, placing his picture book on Cornelli's lap and pointing to a splendid colored picture. "Read what is written here," he directed. "Dino once read it aloud to me and then I knew it."

Cornelli read aloud: "Agnes orders Rudolph von Warth to be bound to the wheel."

"Now you see it," Mux said complacently.

Cornelli did not quite know what the picture was supposed to mean, so she began to read the story that explained it. She read more eagerly each instant, for it was described so vividly that she had to consume one page after another.

"Now you know it," said Mux a little impatiently. "Now look at the goat wagon."

"But Mux," Cornelli said eagerly, "it is quite a different Agnes, it is a queen. You must never think any more that your sister has done such a dreadful thing."

"Oh, but look at the goat wagon, now," begged Mux, a little disappointed.

"Why is the child here crying on the road? Just look how he is pressing his hands up to his eyes! Oh, he is so unhappy! Do you know why?"

Mux shook his head.

"Then I have to read it quickly," said Cornelli. She became so absorbed in the story that she did not notice how Mux was pulling her and urging her to stop reading; he even shook the book.

The mother came into the room now and said: "Dino has shortened his rest a little, for he is longing to see you again, Cornelli. Will you come?"

Cornelli immediately shut the book, for she was extremely glad to go to her friend. She felt some regret, however, at having to leave the story unfinished; she would have loved to know what happened further.

"So you like the book? It was the joy of all my children from the oldest to the youngest," said the mother. Cornelli's regretful glance at it had not escaped her. "You can look at it again later on, for we still have lots of time."

But Cornelli had to talk over so many things with Dino that the time had pa.s.sed before they had thought it possible, and it was not long before Mux came running with the message that supper was ready. The meal had to be early because Cornelli had to leave immediately after it.

"Oh, what a shame!" said Cornelli, jumping up because she knew her father did not like to wait.

"Bring mother here, Mux," said Dino, and the little one departed.

"Wouldn't you like to stay with us a few days, Cornelli? It would be so nice. Wouldn't you like to? Oh, I think you would!" said Dino eagerly.

Cornelli had quite a strange sensation. She hardly dared to say yes; it seemed so incredible to her that everybody in the house should be so friendly to her and really want her to stay. But that probably would not last if she remained and they got to know her better. Soon the mother came in with Mux. The little boy had heard Dino's last words to Cornelli and had already announced to his mother that Cornelli was sure to stay, because Dino would not let her go.

"Oh, I am so glad that you have settled it all between you! I am so pleased that you are going to stay, Cornelli," she said, full of joy.

"I was just going to propose it to you, and I am so glad that Dino has persuaded you. Your father has already given me his permission and all I have to do is to let him know right away. Now you can stay quietly together, for there is no hurry about supper."

The mother immediately wrote to Mr. h.e.l.lmut, and soon after that, fat little Trina was running over to the hotel.

Cornelli had again settled down beside Dino with a mixed feeling of wonderful delight and fear. He noticed her timidity.

"Oh, yes, Dino, I love to stay with you and Mux," she a.s.sured him.

"Your mother is so good to me, too, but I am afraid of your two sisters.

I have to think of poor little block-headed Trina all the time, when she does everything wrong and does not know how to do otherwise; you all despise her for it and she can't help it. I know what it is like to be so block-headed."

Dino had to laugh a little.

"Why do you suddenly think of our Trina?" he asked. "Do not worry about her, for mother is very good to her. Just be happy, Cornelli, and do not imagine all kinds of things about block-headed Trina."

Cornelli did not say another word, but Dino noticed that she kept on thinking just the same. After a while the mother came to announce that it was time for Dino's rest. The prospect of seeing each other again on the following day was a great consolation to them both.

Then Cornelli and the mother went back to the room where the sisters were sitting at their school work. Mux was bending over his picture book, hatching out new ideas, no doubt. Just then the half grown Trina entered with a basket on her arm. While she was pa.s.sing Nika's chair, her basket got caught on it. Pulling violently to free it, she turned the chair around quite suddenly.