He now came from the stable and mysteriously beckoned to her: “Come here quickly, run fast!” he said. “We’ll still get to the carriage in time. Only come for a moment.”
Cornelli ran to him, and looking into the stable, saw lying on soft fresh hay a tiny, snow-white kid. It looked like a toy, but was really alive.
“Oh, where did it come from, Matthew? Oh, how cunning it is! The white fine fur is just like silk! Can it walk alone? Can it stand, too, if it wants to? Oh, just see how friendly it is and how it is rubbing its little head against me.”
“Yes, but come, now; the carriage is driving up,” Matthew urged. “Come quickly, you can see it every day. Just think! It was only born today.”
The carriage had just driven into the court and Matthew was there the moment the horses stopped. The Director was there, too; not to lose any time and yet not be tardy, he had put a watcher at the door to let him know when the carriage was approaching. The Director was very polite and lifted his cousin out of the carriage, greeting her heartily. Then he helped Miss Grideelen to dismount, thanking her warmly for coming. He told her how glad he was that she had been willing to follow his cousin into this solitude, for otherwise it would have worried him to leave her alone so long. He appreciated their great sacrifice in coming and he hoped that his trip, which was very urgent, would not keep him away too long.
“Where is your daughter, Frederick?” asked Miss Dorner now.
The Director glanced about.
“I saw her just a moment ago. Where are you, Cornelli?” he called towards the house.
“Here I am!” It sounded from very near, for Cornelli had hidden behind her father, so as to inspect the new arrivals without being seen herself.
“Come forward and speak to your cousin and to Miss Grideelen!” ordered Mr. Hellmut.
Cornelli gave her hand first to her relative and then to the other lady, saying to each: “How do you do?”
“You can call me cousin, and this lady is called Miss Grideelen,” said the cousin, hoping that the child would repeat her greeting and would call her and her friend by the names she was just told to use in speaking to them. But the child did not say another word.
The Director now turned towards the carriage, giving Matthew instructions for the horses. Then everybody stepped into the house and soon the whole company sat down at the richly laden dinner table. Miss Mina earned many praises for the deliciously planned meal. When the afternoon came the host took the ladies around his place, for his cousin was anxious to become acquainted with everything she had to take care of.
“Oh, what an abundance of fruit!” Miss Grideelen exclaimed over and over again. “How many cherry trees and what enormous apple trees! Oh, what a row of pear trees! You must be able to fill your bins with fruit in the autumn, Mr. Hellmut! Where do you have room for it all?”
“I do not know about it; my servants take care of that, for I have no time.”
“It is a great shame, Frederick, that you do not have half a dozen children. They would help to look after these matters,” the cousin remarked. “By the way, I wonder where your child is. She does not seem to be very sociable.”
“I do not know where she is,” replied Mr. Hellmut. “I am generally at work about this time and Mina probably knows what she is doing. Perhaps she is busy with her teacher. Cornelli has been alone so much that she could not get very sociable. That is why I am so grateful to you both for coming. I am so glad she can at last be in the environment I have always wanted for her. But what could I do? I have twice taken governesses into the house, to supply her with proper intercourse and opportunity for study. The first ran away because she could not stand the solitude. The second wanted every servant to leave who had been here before her; Esther was to go, and even Matthew. She told me that I had to choose between her and the ‘old house-rats,’ as she called them.
“I showed no desire to send either of them away, and said to her: ‘It is better for you to go, for when the two have departed, it will probably be my turn next, as I shall be the oldest house-rat left.’ After that she departed and I had no more courage to go through another experience. But I knew that it was time for Cornelli to have a lady of refinement and culture with her. I am sure, dear cousin, that you can give me some good advice as to her education, as soon as you have become acquainted with her.”
“I should like to know whom she resembles,” said Miss Dorner; “she does not seem to resemble either you or your late wife.”
“Do you think so?” replied the father quickly. “Do you really think so? The child certainly does not need to resemble me, but I have always hoped that she resembled her mother. I always hoped that this would increase with the years and that she would grow up to be my wife’s image. Do you not think that she has Cornelia’s eyes? I think that my child’s rather straggly mane will in time resemble my Cornelia’s beautiful brown hair; the child’s hair is very thick and has just the same color.”
The Director looked imploringly at his cousin. He seemed anxious for her to agree with him.
Shrugging her shoulders, she replied: “I certainly see no resemblance between the tousled looking small savage and Cornelia. The latter always was so lovely in her exquisite neatness. Her eyes always
