“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.
“Oh, mother, just look at the red daisies!” Cornelli cried out. “Oh, look at the golden buttercups! Oh, look, look; see all the blue forget-me-nots!”
Cornelli had jumped up, for she could not sit still anymore, and was looking forwards and backwards, to right and to left. The meadows had never been so full of flowers, and every few moments Cornelli cried out with delight. When the carriage drove into the courtyard, Cornelli was the first to jump down.
“Oh, Esther, how are you?” she called to her old friend. Full of dignity and covered with a spotless white apron, the cook stood ready to receive the guests.
“Oh, now I am home again! Is everything still the same? Is the garden still the way it was? And Martha and her house, too?”
“Yes, yes, Cornelli. And how are you?” returned Esther, looking eagerly at Cornelli. “How you have changed! In truth you have changed wonderfully. You are not the same.”
Cornelli was already running into the house to the living-room and to her own wardrobe. Yes, everything had remained the same. She flew outside again to the mother, to lead her into the house. The child’s face fairly beamed with joy.
Cornelli’s father was busy working in his office. Hearing the sound of the approaching wheels, he started. “Here they are already,” he said to himself. He hastily threw off his working coat and putting on a good coat left the iron foundry. While he was walking across the courtyard he sighed deeply. Freshly stamped in his memory, he saw before him his only child as she had looked when he had returned from his journey a year ago. Cornelli had stood before him shyly, with averted glance, resembling a little savage, who had never been combed.
“I wonder what the child is like now?” he muttered to himself.
As he entered the living room Cornelli looked up at him. The Director was quite startled at what he saw. Now Cornelli flew up to him.
“Oh, Papa, oh, Papa! It is so wonderful to be home again! Everything is still the way it used to be. Oh, I am so glad to be home again!”
The father wanted to embrace his child, but before he did so he held her at arm’s length to gaze at her once more.
“Cornelli,” he said with tears in his eyes, “you look at me the way your mother used to. You have grown just like your mother,” he said, putting his arms lovingly about her. “How was it possible? How could you change in this way? How did it happen?”
“Mother knows about it, Papa. Mother has helped me,” said Cornelli, going with shining eyes to the mother, for Mrs. Halm had retreated to the back of the room.
The Director now turned to his new guest. “Welcome to our house,” he said heartily, greeting both her and the children. Holding Cornelli’s hand within his own, he continued with emotion: “How different you have brought her back to me! How did you do it? Can this be the same child that I brought you?”
The happy father had to look at Cornelli over and over again, for he hardly yet realized that this was his child. Was this really Cornelli and not a creature of his imagination? So he held the child’s hand and looked again and again into her shining eyes; it really seemed as if he could not believe it.
Esther, laden with the dinner dishes, now came into the room to set the table. She informed her master that the guest rooms were ready and that she supposed the ladies wanted to retire before the coming meal.
Mrs. Halm and her daughter gladly followed her, but Cornelli said: “Oh, Papa, can I run over to Martha? I’ll be back very soon.”
Dino also begged to go, for he longed to see old Martha again. As the permission had readily been given, the two children started off. They had meant to run down the path, but Cornelli could not go fast. The meadow was so full of daisies, buttercups and especially of blue forget-me-nots, her favorite flowers, that she felt as if she had to gather them all, and Dino had to remind her that their time was short and that the flowers would still be there tomorrow.
Martha had heard that Cornelli and her guests were expected that day, so she had several times glanced towards the garden to see if she could discover trace of her or of Dino. Now both came flying up the steps, and Martha ran out to meet them. Oh, yes, here was Dino, Dino whom she knew so well, and Cornelli, too—Martha looked at the child and tried to say something. Instead of that, however, bright tears started to her eyes, and she was unable to speak.
“Oh, Martha, how I have looked forward to coming home and coming to you right away!” Cornelli exclaimed. “Are you glad, too, Martha? Oh, I am so happy!”
“I too, I too, Cornelli,” Martha assured her. “What memories you bring back to me, child, for you have grown just like your mother. Oh, how different you are now from what you were. God has blessed your life in town. It seems like a miracle. Oh, how I have prayed for this!”
After these words she shook Dino’s hand, looking at him rather sadly, for her great joy at seeing him again was dimmed by his delicate appearance.
“Oh, Dino, how pale and thin you look,” she said. “Last year you were so much stouter.”
“That is why I came again to Iller-Stream,” Dino replied cheerfully. “You must rejoice with us now, Mrs. Martha, for Cornelli and
