TWO HAPPY TRAVELLERS.
On Monday evening the journey was to begin. The horse-dealer had
impressed this fact so thoroughly on Rico's memory, that there was not a
chance for a mistake. After the farewells were all said, Rico and
Stineli went towards Sils together, while her mother, with all the
little children clustered about her, stood upon the doorstep and looked
after them.
Sami accompanied them to carry the portmanteau on his head, and Rico
carried the basket on one side, and Stineli held it on the other.
Stineli's clothes had just filled it.
When they reached the church in Sils, Stineli said, "Oh, if my
grandmother could only see us now! We will go to say good-by to her,
Rico." He was very willing, and told Stineli how he had already tried to
find the grave, but had not succeeded.
The girl was better informed than her brother.
When the post-wagon came along and stopped, the driver called out, "Are
the couple ready who are to go down to the Lake of Garda? I was asking
for them yesterday."
The horse-dealer had given them a good recommendation; and the driver
called out that they should climb up to the top: the others had found it
too cold. "You are younger," he said.
So saying, he helped them up to the seats behind the box, and took out
a thick horse-blanket, and wrapped them up snugly therein; and off
they went.
For the first time since they had come together again, the two young
people were alone, and could talk freely and undisturbed, and tell each
other how they had passed the three long years since they parted. And
they chattered away happily under the starry heavens, never thinking of
sleep in their joy at being together.
Towards morning they reached the lake, and arrived in Peschiera at the
same hour as Rico had before arrived, and walked along the road to the
lake-side. But Rico did not wish his companion to see the lake until she
had reached the spot he called his own; so he led her through the trees
until they came to the little stone bridge in the open.
There lay the lake in the light of the setting sun; and the children sat
side by side on the little mound, and gazed across the water.
There it was, just as Rico had described it, but more, much more lovely;
for such colors Stineli had never seen before.
She looked about her towards the purple mountains, across the golden
waters, and she cried out with all her heart, "Yes, it is finer than the
Lake of Sils."
But Rico felt that it had never yet been so exquisitely beautiful as on
this evening when he and Stineli saw it together.
Rico had another secret joy that he cherished in his heart. How
surprised Silvio and his mother would be to see them! Nobody had
expected them back so soon. Nobody would look for them before the end of
the week, and now there they sat by the lake-side.
They did not quit the little mound until the sun had fairly disappeared.
Rico pointed out to his companion the spot where his mother stood
washing something in the lake, and how he used to sit waiting until she
had finished; and then he told how they walked back together, hand in
hand, over the little bridge.
"But where did you go when you went back?" asked Stineli. "Have you
never found the house that you returned to?"
Rico could not say. "When I go up there, away from the lake towards the
railroad, I seem to remember that there I stood with my mother, or sat
with her upon a garden-seat with the red flowers before us; but now
nothing is to be seen like the house, and I do not even recognize the
road at all."
At last they arose, and went towards the garden. Rico carried the
portmanteau, and the girl the basket. As they entered the garden,
Stineli called out too loud, in her delight, "Oh, the beautiful,
beautiful flowers!"
Silvio heard these unfortunate words, and pulled himself up in an
instant, crying out, at the top of his lungs,--
"Here comes Rico with his Stineli!"
His poor mother thought that he had an attack of fever. She thrust her
things back into the chest which she was arranging,--every thing in
again, pell-mell,--and ran quickly to the bedside.
At that moment Rico walked boldly into the room, and the good woman
almost fell over backward in her surprise and delight; for until that
very instant she had secretly been a prey to the darkest fears, always
believing that Rico's adventure would cost him his life.
A maiden came behind Rico, with a friendly face that won Mrs. Menotti's
heart in a twinkling, for she was a very impressionable woman.
First of all, however, she shook Rico's hands almost off in her
welcoming grasp; and in the meantime Stineli had gone over to the
bedside and placed her arm about the thin shoulders of the child, and
smiled into his face as if they were old and dear friends, while Silvio
in return put his arm about her neck, and drew her face down to his.
Straightway Stineli placed a present for the child before him. She
had put it conveniently in her pocket, so that she could place her
hand on it at once. It was a toy that had been Peterli's favorite
before any other,--a pine-cone, with a thin wire introduced into each
little opening between the hard scales, and a little figure, made of
sole-leather, perched on the top of each bit of wire. All these tiny
figures shook and nodded so merrily towards each other, and had such
funnily painted little faces, that Silvio could scarcely stop
laughing at them.
Mrs. Menotti had learned from Rico all that he had to tell her of
importance while this play went on,--for she was anxious to learn from
himself that all had gone quietly and safely,--then she turned to the
girl, and greeted her with heartfelt kindness; and Stineli made answer
more with her kindly eyes than with her tongue, for she could not speak
a word of Italian, and had to help herself out with such Romanish words
as she had learned.
But she was quick-witted, and found a way to make herself understood
without difficulty; for, if the right word was wanting, she described
the thing cleverly with her fingers, and by all sorts of signs, which
amused Silvio exceedingly; for it was a kind of game of guessing for him
all the time.
Now Mrs. Menotti went over to the cupboard, where all the service for
the table was kept, and brought out tablecloth and plates, cold
chicken, fruit, and wine; which, when Stineli observed, she hastened
after her to aid her, and did it so neatly and handily that there
remained little for Mrs. Menotti to do; and she stood gazing at the
nimble, willing girl, who had soon served Silvio also, as he lay in
bed, cutting his food for him, and helping him neatly and rapidly,
which pleased the child very much.
Mrs. Menotti seated herself, saying, "I have not had such help as this
in many a year; but, come now, Stineli: sit down, and eat with us."
And they sat and chatted and ate together, as if they were old friends
who had always been accustomed to such free intercourse.
Rico began to give an account of the journey after they had finished
eating, and Stineli meanwhile quietly replaced every thing in the
cupboard; for she knew well enough, without being told, how such work
should be done. Then she seated herself by Silvio's bedside, and made
shadow pictures on the wall with her supple fingers; and Silvio laughed
aloud, and called the names,--"A hare! A beast with horns! A spider with
long legs!"
So sped away the first evening quickly and merrily, and they all were
taken by surprise when it struck ten o'clock. Rico rose, for he knew he
must be going; but a dark cloud came over his countenance.
He said shortly, "Good-night," and went away. But the girl ran after
him; and in the garden she took his hand, saying, "Now you must not be
sad, Rico, it _is_ so beautiful here. I cannot tell you how lovely I
find it, nor how happy I am; and I owe it all, all to you. And you will
come again to-morrow, and every day, will you not, Rico?"
"Yes," he said; and looked at Stineli with a most melancholy expression.
"Yes; and every evening, when it is most beautiful, I must be off and
away, because I belong to nobody."
"Oh! do not think in that way, Rico," said his friend encouragingly.
"Have we not always belonged to each other, and have not I often rejoiced
over that thought all these three years that are past? And when things
were almost unsupportable, and I longed to get away, have not I always
said to myself, 'If I could only be with Rico again, I would bear any
thing?' And now it has come about as we wished, and, indeed, far better
than I had imagined; and will you not be happy with me, Rico?"
"Yes; that I will," said the lad; and his countenance cleared a little.
He did belong to somebody, after all; and Stineli's words had restored
his tranquility. They shook hands again; and Rico went through the
garden-gate, and away.
When Stineli returned to the room, and, by Mrs. Menotti's directions,
was about to say good-night to Silvio, the child began to dispute
again, and declared that he would not be separated from his newly-found
friend even for a few hours; but would have her sit by his bedside all
night long, and say funny words to him, and look at him with her
laughing eyes.
Nothing that his mother could say produced any impression upon him,
until she spoke thus: "Very well; if you keep Stineli standing by your
bed to amuse you all night, she will soon be as ill as you are, and not
be able to get up at all, but have to lie in bed, and you will not see
her for a long time."
So, after a while, the child released his hold of Stineli's arm,
and said,--
"There, go to sleep; but come to me again to-morrow early."
This was promised; and Mrs. Menotti showed the girl into a neat little
bedroom that looked out upon the garden, whence a delicious scent of
flowers rose through the open window.
With every day that passed Stineli became more and more necessary to
little Silvio. If she only went out-of-doors for a few moments, he
considered it a misfortune. He was obedient and quiet enough, however,
when she stayed with him; and did every thing she bade him do, and did
not tease his mother as before.
And it seemed as if the nervous little fellow had less frequent attacks
of pain since Stineli's arrival. Indeed, he had not complained since her
coming, and she had been with them many days.
It must certainly be acknowledged that she was the most amusing of
companions, and turned every thing that came in her way into a game. She
had always lived with children, and constantly had their entertainment
in her mind. She had also learned a great many words from Silvio, and
could soon chatter away with him at her ease; and when she did get the
words twisted and upside down, it was even more funny, and Silvio looked
upon that as a game made expressly for him.
Mrs. Menotti never saw Rico entering the garden but she ran towards him,
for now she was at liberty to move about freely; and she always drew him
a little aside to tell him what a treasure he had brought into the house
for her, how happy and gay her Silvio had become, and that she never
would have believed that such a girl as Stineli existed on the face of
the earth; for with Silvio she was as merry as if her only pleasure
consisted in playing the little games he liked, while she was as wise
and intelligent as any grown woman with Mrs. Menotti, and understood
housework so that it all seemed to go on of its own accord; and nicely,
too, as if every day were Sunday. In short, Mrs. Menotti could not find
words enough to praise Stineli in all the ways in which she found her
admirable; and Rico was always happy in listening to these praises.
When they all sat together in the pleasant room, and exchanged loving
and happy glances, they felt that they never wanted to be separated,
and called themselves the happiest family in the whole world, and
needed for nothing.
But the clouds on Rico's brow grew dark as night came on, and towards
ten o'clock every thing looked black and blacker; and even if Mrs.
Menotti, in her contentment, did not notice it, Stineli did, and
secretly worried over it, thinking, "It is just as if there were a
thunder-storm in the air."