They were awakened next morning by the chattering of the monkey, and,
looking out from their corner, they could not for a moment remember
where they were, or how they came to be there. The sun was shining
brightly, the birds were singing, and Carlotta was up and stirring
something in a pot over the fire. Luigi had gone with the donkeys to
give them a drink, and Ugolone was standing on his hind legs beside his
tree, grunting impatiently for his breakfast.
Beppina gazed at the strange scene for one blank moment, then, as memory
came back, she buried her head in the straw and sobbed. Beppo tried to
comfort her.
"Don't cry, Beppinella," he whispered. "To-day we shall find some way
of returning to Florence. I feel sure of it! It might be worse.
Pazienza! We must make the best of it."
Just then, Carlotta, hearing the muffled sobs and the murmur of his
voice, appeared at the end of the van.
"Come out, little lost ones," she called to them. "The sun shines, and
we shall have a fine day in the mountains. See, here is Carina waiting
to greet you!" She tossed the monkey toward them as she spoke, and
disappeared around the end of the van. Soon she returned, carrying in
her hand a green blouse and a gay striped skirt.
"Here," she said to Beppina, "I will lend these to you. Then you can
save your pretty clothes so they will be clean to wear when you return
to your Mammina." She spoke so confidently of their return that Beppina
thought perhaps the woman meant to take them back that very day. She
reluctantly put on the queer blouse and the striped skirt, while Beppo
arrayed himself in a pair of velveteen trousers which were as much too
long for him as the skirt was for Beppina. Carlotta had brought these
also, and she gave him a red sash to bind around his waist as well.
When they were equipped in these garments the two children gazed at each
other in dismay.
"You don't look like Beppo at all. You look just like a bandit," said
Beppina.
"And you--you look like a gypsy girl!" gasped Beppo.
"Even Mammina wouldn't know us if she were to see us now," Beppina
whispered, despairingly.
"That's just why that woman did it!" gasped Beppo, with sudden
illumination. "She doesn't care a bit about saving our clothes! She
wants to disguise us, so people will think we belong to them!"
"Oh, dear!" shuddered Beppina. "Let's change back again."
They seized their clothes, but just then they saw Carlotta's glittering
black eyes gazing in at them from the end of the van. It was as if she
knew their very thoughts.
"Avanti, avanti!" she called. "Is it that you are lazy? Come! We must
be on the road!"
Not daring to linger or protest, the two strange little figures came
tumbling out of the straw at once, and, after washing in the brook, sat
down on a fallen log to eat their breakfast. Carina perched beside them
on the log, and, when she had finished her own portion, leaped on
Ugolone's back, and, leaning down, snatched away some of his breakfast
from under his nose. In vain poor old Ugolone growled and slapped at
her with his clumsy paws. He was always too slow to catch her.
The children were so absorbed in watching this drama that they did not
notice what Carlotta was doing meanwhile, but later, when they looked
for their own clothes again, they had mysteriously disappeared, and were
not seen again.
When they had finished breakfast, Carlotta called to Beppina, "Come
here, poverina! Your hair is full of straw. I will fix it for you."
Beppina obeyed, and the woman coaxed her tangled locks into place,
combing them with her fingers, and at last succeeded in plaiting them
into a number of tight braids which she wound about her head. "There,"
said she when this was done, "now you will no longer need your hat."
"But," said Beppina, "I want my hat! Only peasants go bare-headed."
The woman gave a short laugh, and her teeth gleamed so white between her
lips that Beppina thought of the wolf who tried to pass himself off for
Red Riding Hood's grandmother.
"Do as you are told," said Carlotta. She smiled as she said it, but
there was such a fierce look in her face that Beppina made the sign
against the Evil Eye, with her hand behind her, and submitted silently
as Carlotta tied a red kerchief over the braids. These preparations
completed, the caravan moved on, with Luigi as usual in the driver's
seat, Carlotta leading the bear, and the Twins, carrying the monkey,
bringing up the rear.
On and on they travelled, but in which direction the children could only
guess. There were many turns in the road, which wound constantly
upward, and with every mile the country grew more wild. Through
openings between the hills they caught fleeting glimpses of quaint
villages clinging to the mountain-sides, and of ancient castles
commanding beautiful views across fertile valleys. At one time they saw
the roofs of a great stone monastery, hidden away among olive trees.
They heard the music of its bells and caught faint echoes of the
chanting of the monks. It was then that they remembered that it was
Easter Sunday.
"If we were at home, we should now be hunting Easter eggs and sugar
lambs in the garden," whispered Beppina.
"Teresina said there wouldn't be any there, anyway," Beppo answered,
winking very hard; and then neither one said anything for a long time.
All day long the donkeys plodded up the steep slopes, only stopping by
the wayside for rest and food at noon. It was evident that Luigi
thought best to keep to the least-frequented mountain ways, so all
through the sunny hours the sad little travellers walked behind the van,
or climbed inside to rest their weary feet, not knowing where they were
going and not daring to ask.
At sunset they reached the crest of a high hill, and, looking back, they
could see far, far away in the purple distance, the twinkling lights of
the city of Florence, looking like a sky full of stars fallen to earth.
On the slopes of nearer hills there were other twinkling lights like
chains of jewels winding in and out among the trees. The mountain
villages were celebrating the Easter festival with candle-lit
processions and with singing. The words of the Easter song floated
across the blue spaces. "The Royal Banners forward go," came the faint
chant, and, mingling with the vesper song of thrush and nightingale,
lulled the tired travellers to dreamless sleep.