Cornelli Part 25

At that moment Mux said loudly: "Yes, we like it very much!" He had clearly grasped that it meant for him keeping on doing what he had enjoyed so much under Matthew's and Esther's care. The Director had to laugh, and continued: "I must have the reply of the chief, my dear Mrs. Halm, so please listen to my plan. I shall let you manage the children in the winter, and you shall arrange whatever they are to learn, but they must come here in the summer when I can enjoy all the results of their studies. I shall also enjoy the great advantage of having you manage my house when you are here. Does that suit everybody, or am I getting more than my share?"

At last the mother composed herself.

"Oh, Mr. h.e.l.lmut, how can I thank you?" she said, offering him her trembling hand. "I do not know how to express what is in my heart. How can I be grateful enough for such boundless kindness? You cannot know what your generosity means to us all."

Even the children had understood that this unheard-of bliss was true.

Nika was the first to run with beaming eyes to the Director and to seize his hand, but she could find no words to show her grat.i.tude.

Agnes and Dino, too, had run towards the Director, and the latter did not know how to shake all the hands that were offered to him. Mux, who could find no access to his benefactor, climbed up on a chair, and putting his arms about him from behind, screamed a thousand words of thanks right into the Director's ears. The wild rejoicing became louder and louder.

"Cornelli," said the father at last, "give thanks to your foster-mother!

She has earned them, for she has brought joy back to our house."

Cornelli did it with a full and willing heart, for she realized what the children's mother had done for her. Soon afterwards, Dino and Cornelli ran away for they had had a simultaneous thought. They did not want to wait another moment before bringing Martha the wonderful news. n.o.body on earth could share their boundless happiness as Martha would.

Martha's heart overflowed when she heard what had been proposed. Between freely flowing tears she said again and again: "Oh, Cornelli! Everything has happened so wonderfully for you. G.o.d has ordained it much more wisely than we could have wished and prayed for. From now on, we shall leave everything entirely in His hands. We'll do that as long as we live, won't we, Cornelli?"

Cornelli nodded with understanding; she had not forgotten how she had complained to Martha, and how Martha had told her to seek G.o.d's help.

Martha had a.s.sured her that the help would always come, even if it revealed itself differently from the way she expected. Now it had all turned out so gloriously, and so much more splendidly than Cornelli could ever have imagined!

There had never been such rejoicing in the house as Agnes started when she and Nika had retired to their room in the evening and Cornelli had come to pay her accustomed little evening visit. She skipped and danced about the room like a newly freed bird and called out: "Now our troubles are over and no secret fears can scare us any more. Now we can sing all we want and can live here with you every summer, Cornelli. Oh, we are the happiest creatures in all the world, and it has all happened through you, Cornelli; you wonderful, incomparable Cornelli!"

Agnes, seizing her friend's hand, jumped about with her in the room at such a rate that Nika had to calm her. The elder sister warned Agnes that the Director might have to repent of his kindness to them if their lengthy stay began with such violent noise. One could see, though, that Nika was willing enough to join the others in their antics.

"The day on which you came to our house, Cornelli," she said, "has really been more blessed than any other day in the year. So we must always celebrate it as a great feast day."

Nika had lately been very sweet and friendly to Cornelli, and the younger girl had been very happy about it. But had never dreamed that Nika would ever speak to her like this.

When Esther heard that the Halm family was going to remain for the present and return every year, she said: "Oh, I am glad. That is much better than if some other people I know had to come back. It is better for me and for Cornelli, as well as for the whole house."

"Oh, if I could only come again, too!" said Trina, whose face in these days was always beaming. "Oh, one feels so happy here!"

"That is very true," Esther affirmed. "I do not see why you shouldn't.

You don't need to worry, Trina. If Cornelli and I wish you well, we'll see that you come here again."

The Director did not like the thought of losing his large new family so soon, so he said one day to Mrs. Halm: "I am very anxious to prolong the children's holiday this year till late in the fall. Dino, who is more in need of his studies than the others, is least able to go back to town, because he ought to be thoroughly strengthened and made absolutely well. If it should be necessary for him to study, we have our good Mr. Maelinger, who can give him lessons." The mother agreed, for she also was very anxious to have Dino as well as possible, and she was very grateful to her benefactor for making this possible.

"There is another reason which makes a longer stay necessary," continued the Director. "As I fully intend to visit you and the children several times during the winter, I have rented a more comfortable apartment for you, because I was rather afraid of finding your tower-like dwelling a little inconvenient for me. The apartment will be ready for you in the late autumn, and I want you to get all the rest you can before you move there, for it is sure to involve some additional work for you.

I hope sincerely that you do not resent my step."

"I can only thank you continually," said the mother now. The children arrived at the same moment, and all further words from her were swallowed up in their loud and stormy manifestations of joy. Cornelli had already told them of her father's plan to let them all stay in Iller-Stream till winter time.

When all the fruit had ripened on the trees and Dino was shaking one of them and Cornelli another, Matthew looked over from the barn door, happily rubbing his hands. Right under the tree he saw the other children, one biting into an apple, the other into a pear.

"It certainly is different now from last year," he said, smiling to himself. "There is not a rotten plum or a lonesome pear in all the orchard."

Every evening, when the last songs resounded in the house, there were some of thanks and praise which rose up to Heaven like a loud rejoicing.

More than once the Director said to his little daughter, when she gave him her goodnight kiss: "Did not G.o.d mean well with us, Cornelli, when he guided Martha to write such an inviting notice to the paper?"