Cornelli Part 22

Cornelli was filled with admiration for Nika and for everything she did. She could not understand how Nika, who was so lovely and could do such wonderful things, could have a sorrow. She had never forgotten about it, because she had often noticed that the young girl suffered from some grief.

Even Agnes often stopped laughing quite suddenly. She would say: "Yes, Cornelli, it is easy for you to be jolly. It is easy for you." So Cornelli knew that Agnes also carried a care about with her. When Agnes frowned and made dreadful wrinkles, Cornelli was quite sure that then her sorrow was hurting her. She would have loved to help her, but she had never asked her friends about it. She knew that she had been glad when n.o.body had asked her about her own trouble.

One day it happened that Agnes came home from her music lesson quite upset and terribly excited. "Oh, Mama," she called from the door, "the teacher has given us the pieces today which we have to play for our examinations. He has given me the most difficult one, and while giving it to me he said: 'I shall really make something fine out of you.'"

Agnes was throwing her music sheets away as if they were her greatest enemies; then she ran away to her room. There she threw herself down on a chair and began to sob loudly. Cornelli had followed her, for she was filled with sympathy. Putting her arms about Agnes, she said: "Tell me, Agnes, what makes you cry. I know what it is like to have to cry like that. But why do you do it now, when your teacher has just praised you?"

"What good is that to me?" Agnes burst out. "How does it help me to play ever so well? What good would it ever do me even to practice day and night? Nika and I can only keep on one year more, and then everything is over. Then she can't paint any more and I can't have any more music lessons, for we shall have to become dressmakers. We won't even have time to go through the higher cla.s.ses in school. I would a thousand times rather travel through the world and sing in front of the houses for pennies--yes, I'll do that!"

"Can't your mother help you?" asked Cornelli, remembering the mother's help in her own case.

"No, she can't; and she is very unhappy herself. There is not a soul on earth who could help us, for our guardian says that it just has to be."

Cornelli was quite crushed by this explanation, for now she understood quite well why Nika often had such sad eyes. The hopeless prospect made Cornelli's heart heavy, too. When Agnes had had such a pa.s.sionate outbreak, she did not regain her composure for several days. Then Nika would not say a word, either, and the mother only looked very sadly at her children.

Then Dino also became silent, for he knew what tormented his mother and his sisters. He would have loved to help them, but he knew no way.

So Cornelli could not laugh any more, either, and her friend's great sorrow weighed on her, too, for she had experienced a heavy grief herself and had not forgotten what it was like.

CHAPTER X

NEW LIFE IN ILLER-STREAM

Winter had come. For the inhabitants of the garret lodging the days were filled with so much regular work that the nights were always greeted with loud regrets and complaints. They were always sorry when the day was done and no more time was left for their plans. Agnes was especially angry and ready to spit fire from disgust at the arrival of the hated bedtime which always broke up everything.

"We lose half of our lives in sleeping," she indignantly called out several times. "I wish you would let us sing all night long, Mother,"

she said. "We should only be more keen for our other work next day, if we could really devote ourselves to music for a while, instead of always stopping off in the middle whenever we are in the mood to sing."

The children's mother, however, did not agree with Agnes, so the nights had to be used for sleeping as before.

Cornelli's singing delighted Agnes more and more. Cornelli sang everything as lightly and freely as a bird, and with such a clear and resonant voice that everybody got pleasure from it. There was no other voice in the whole school which was as sure and as full as Cornelli's.

Even the teacher said so, and during the singing lesson he placed her right in front of him, because she was the best leader of the chorus.

In the middle of winter Mr. h.e.l.lmut wrote to Mrs. Halm to inform her that he was taking a lengthy journey to foreign parts. As he felt that Cornelli was well taken care of in her household, he was anxious to use this opportunity for travelling. He also wrote that he had shortened his last trip in order not to tie his kind cousin and her friend too long to his lonely house. He told her that he was very sorry not to be able to pay her and Cornelli a visit before leaving, for he had to start at once.

Never before had spring come so fast. So at least it seemed to Cornelli, who was walking home alone one day from school. The winter had gone by and already a mild wind was blowing through the streets, and the melting snow was dropping from the roofs.

From the top of a roof a little bird was whistling and singing a song of delight to the bright blue sky above. Cornelli's school had been over sooner than the other children's, so she was in no hurry and stood still to listen. A ray of suns.h.i.+ne was flowing into the street, and the bird kept on singing and whistling, on and on, a heavenly, familiar sound.

Suddenly the lovely beech wood at home rose before Cornelli's eyes, and she saw the trees in their first green leaves, the first violets under the hedge, her beloved first violets; she saw the yellow crocuses sparkling beside the bright red primroses in the garden. The birds at home used to whistle above her in all the trees in just the same way as these in the city.

Oh, how lovely the coming of the spring had always been at home! How wonderful it would be to see all these familiar sights again! At that thought Cornelli ran to the house as fast as she possibly could. Sitting down beside her ink-well she wrote as follows:

DEAR PAPA:

I am sure it is more beautiful at home now than anywhere else. May I come home soon? I am sure that the violets are out and that everything is getting green in the woods. Soon there will be lots of flowers in the garden, and later on the roses, and then all the berries and forget-me-nots in the meadows will come out. I know now that it is nowhere as beautiful as at home. I should love to show the mother and the girls everything, and I know that Mux would adore the little kid.

Dino already loves the meadows and the garden, and I hope that he will come to Iller-Stream again. If I could only soon see it all again!

A great many kisses, from your daughter, CORNELLI.

Cornelli did not get an answer from her father for three weeks. He wrote to her that his journey had been lengthened beyond his expectation. He also said how glad he was that his daughter had suddenly realized what a beautiful home she had, but that he disapproved entirely of her leaving her school abruptly. He told her to stay in town till the summer holidays, for he was obliged himself to stay away till then.

He gave her permission to invite for the holidays all the family who had been so good to her, for he and Cornelli, too, had much reason to be grateful to Mrs. Halm. There was plenty of room for all of them in the house, and he would like to have them with him all summer long.

Cornelli at first was a little disappointed that it was going to be so long before she could be home and see again the garden, the meadows and the beech wood, for her longing for them had grown more and more.

But when she thought of the prospect of having all the family with her all summer, including Dino and his mother, she was so happy that all her disappointment vanished.

Her joy was supreme when that day at lunch time she gave the family her father's invitation. On all sides she perceived signs of boundless joy. Nika and Agnes had had the firm conviction that they were to spend the summer, as usual, in the hot garret dwelling without any special holidays. And now they could spend all summer in beautiful Iller-Stream, about which Dino had told them so much. He had described Cornelli's house and garden as a perfect paradise, and now they would live there themselves.

Agnes screamed for joy and Nika's face was radiant with happiness.

Mrs. Halm was greatly moved with grat.i.tude and delight. She had been worrying lately about Dino, for she had been uncertain whether she would be able to send him away long enough for the boy to be properly strengthened. She had feared that the time would have to be exceedingly short and that the benefit therefore would be very slight. Now the good G.o.d had suddenly taken all her anxiety from her and had changed it into a boundless blessing.

Dino smiled with complete satisfaction, and said again and again: "I wish you knew how wonderful it all is. Such a garden and such trees!

Such a stable and such horses! Oh, how I love beautiful Iller-Stream!"

Mux called out louder and louder: "Oh, Cornelli, take me along!" He could not realize that he was really going, too. There were still many days and even weeks before their bliss would come true, but with this heavenly prospect before them the children performed their remaining duties only too joyfully.

It was different for Cornelli. Her longing for her home had grown more violent every day. Wherever she saw a green tree or a bush, she saw the garden at home, the meadows, and the flowers in Iller-Stream before her mind's eye. So her desire to return there, to see it all again, became almost painful. She felt finally as if the day would never come when she could again see her home.

It came, nevertheless. A large trunk was taken away on a cart, and the whole family followed it towards the station. Trina came last. In her wondering eyes one could see that despite all the preparations she did not yet believe the reality of the coming journey. Cornelli had begged Mrs. Halm so urgently to let her go, too, that the child's wish had been granted. Cornelli had been willing to take the responsibility for the unexpected guest. Mux was so excited that he kept on running in front of everybody and hindering them all in walking.

"Be sensible, Mux!" Dino exclaimed. "If you go on like that, we'll miss the train and there won't be any trip."

These words disconcerted Mux to such a degree that he simply tore away down the street. Dino had to run after him to catch him, for Mux knew no road or way and had dashed ahead only in his fear of arriving too late.

At last they reached the station and entered their car. Now they were moving out into the beautiful country. The sun was s.h.i.+ning over the fields and woods, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. Cornelli was sitting beside the open window, eagerly looking out. The journey lasted for a little more than two hours, and as soon as it was over they got out.

"Here he comes, here he comes!" Cornelli cried out, running towards the road which led into the valley. Here Matthew was just stopping the pair of horses from their lively trot.

In a moment Cornelli was at the dismounting coachman's side, calling to him: "How are you, Matthew? I am coming home again. Is everything at home still the same?"

"Welcome, Cornelli, welcome home!" he said, radiant with joy, for his master's child was his greatest pride. "But how you have grown, Cornelli! Oh, how changed our Cornelli is!"

Matthew shook her hand with great delight and then opened the carriage door for the family who had approached.

"Oh, here is the young gentleman from last summer," Matthew said again, shaking Dino's hand. "But you looked better when you were with us. Oh, yes, the young gentleman looked much better then, I think."

"I should think so, Matthew," said Dino. "Of course, I looked better when I could drink such good milk from the stable, in the fine, fresh morning air. It was different in town."

Mrs. Halm had entered the carriage and the two girls had followed.

Mux, gazing motionless at the s.h.i.+ning horses, could not be taken away in a hurry from that wonderful sight.

"They are coming along, too," said Matthew, who enjoyed the open admiration the little boy was showing. "You will be able to look at them every day, and you can ride on them to the fountain."

That helped the situation. Everybody was soon inside of the carriage, and Trina sat beside Matthew on the coachman's box. Now they galloped gaily along into the valley.