Cornelli Part 7

Cornelli exploded now. "She can eat all the things herself which drop beside the plate. I don't care. I don't want anything as long as I can go to the little kid in the stable; it really is the most cunning creature in the whole world. Have you seen it yet, Esther?"

"Certainly I have, and why not?" the cook replied. "Matthew took me out to the stable as soon as it was born. You can certainly go to see it as long as it is in our own stable. Just go there as much as you like! n.o.body can forbid you that."

"My teacher is coming," Cornelli now exclaimed, "and I have to go."

"Yes, child, but do keep up your spirits. There are lots of pleasant things still left for you to enjoy. Just wait till you taste the strawberry tarts I am going to make to-day."

With these words Esther smacked her lips to express the great succulence of the promised dish.

"I wouldn't even care if you baked nettle tarts; I wish I didn't have to eat at table and could just eat berries in the garden and drink milk in the stable."

Cornelli ran towards the house, for she had forgotten to walk sedately, as she had been told to do.

While Cornelli had her lessons upstairs in the living room, in the jessamine arbor both ladies were sitting on a garden bench.

"It would be so pleasant and agreeable here," said Miss Dorner, "and my cousin could have such a very charming life, if the child were only a little different. Don't you think, Betty, that she has no manners whatever?"

"Yes, but she has had no training at all." remarked Miss Grideelen; "and she may have inherited some qualities from her mother."

"Oh no, not a single trait! You cannot possibly imagine a greater difference than between the mother and this child," Miss Dorner exclaimed. "Cornelia was full of amiability and gayety. She always greeted and cheered everyone with her laughing brown eyes. If my cousin could only have the happiness to see his child resemble her mother the slightest bit! He was so fond of his wife! He deserves this joy, for he is a splendid man."

"It is curious how very different children can be from their parents,"

said Miss Grideelen with regret in her voice. "But I am sure that something can still be accomplished by educating the child. Many qualities can be developed that hardly show themselves yet. We ought to do our best for her, especially for her father's sake."

"That is just what I am doing, Betty. Unfortunately, I have had very little success as yet," answered Miss Dorner. "But I just hope that the day will come when I can write her father some pleasant news about Cornelli, something different from what I feel obliged to send him now."

The day had been exceedingly hot, and the ladies retired to their rooms immediately after dinner, while Cornelli, according to her custom, obediently did her lessons. Then she disappeared. In the late evening, when the ladies sat down to supper, it was so warm that Miss Mina was ordered to open all the windows.

Now Cornelli entered.

"For mercy's sake, what are you thinking of!" the cousin accosted the child. "We are nearly peris.h.i.+ng with the heat and you put on a fur dress, which you could wear without a coat in a sleigh ride in the middle of winter. Why do you do such foolish things?"

Cornelli was really attired very strangely. Her little dress was made of such heavy, fur-like material that one could see it was meant for the coldest winter weather, and for someone who disliked much outer clothing. The child's cheeks were glowing red, and from the insufferable heat whole streams of perspiration trickled down her face.

"I have no more dresses left," she said stubbornly.

"Can you understand it?" asked the cousin, looking at her friend.

"I really think that this is the fifth dress in which I have seen Cornelli to-day," answered the friend. "In the early morning I saw her running across the yard in a dark dress. At breakfast she wore a light frock and for lunch a red one. I believe that she wore a blue dress when we had our coffee this afternoon, so this must be the fifth costume. I was beginning at lunch time to wonder about the frequent changes."

"I have to change my dress every time I go to the stable," Cornelli said, a little more stubbornly than before.

"How can anybody be so foolis.h.!.+" exclaimed the cousin now. "I can understand now why you have no fun and why you always wear an unhappy face. You must be nearly perished with the heat! Finish your supper quickly and then go to your room and take off this heavy dress. You surely have another dress. I must forbid you to go to the stable from now on! You can see for yourself what comes of it! If only you would not frown like this, Cornelli. You look exactly as if you had two little horns growing on your forehead, one on each side. There are many other and better amus.e.m.e.nts for you than spending your life in the stable. Are you able to embroider?"

"No," Cornelli answered curtly.

"Children of your age ought to be able to, though," said the cousin.

"But we have not come here to teach you that; have we, Betty? You probably do not even know how to hold the needle in your hand."

"Why should it be necessary for Cornelli to learn embroidery just now?"

replied the friend. "She has lovely books that she can read; she has shown us some herself. Don't you prefer reading a pretty story to running about in the stable, child?"

"No, I don't," replied Cornelli crossly.

"We must not pay attention to what she says," remarked Miss Dorner.

"When Cornelli is bored, she will probably turn to her books herself.

Please, Miss Mina, keep an eye on Cornelli. Nonsense like this must not happen any more."

When supper was finished, Cornelli went up to her room, and Miss Mina followed her.

"You certainly don't need to do such silly things," she said scoldingly, as soon as they were on the stairs, where her words could not be overheard. "I have enough to do nowadays without watching whether you put on a new dress every few hours."

"It isn't my fault," Cornelli replied morosely. "They ordered me to do it."

"They won't always smell it when you have been to the stable," scolded Miss Mina.

"Yes, but they do smell it," Cornelli retorted, "and even if they didn't, I should have to obey. They told me to change every time I go to the stable."

"Yes, but now you are told not to go there any more, remember that!--so your frequent changing will have to stop," grumbled Miss Mina, while she was helping Cornelli to take off her hot dress.

"Now I have to clean it, besides! You actually give more work than six well brought up children." Miss Mina had never before spoken so roughly to Cornelli, for she had always been anxious to keep in the child's good graces. But she had suddenly ceased to care about that.

Cornelli looked at her with astonishment. The child's eyes were also full of something that n.o.body had ever seen there before. Mina seemed to understand: "I did not do you any harm," she said quickly; "what I have said is only the truth." With that she left the room.

"If everybody treats me that way I'll be that way, too," cried Cornelli with a furious look. Suddenly taking hold of the dress she had just taken off she threw it out of the window. After a while Mina returned, bringing back the dress. Cornelli was sitting on the window-sill crossly looking down at the yard.

"Look out that the wind doesn't blow you down, too, like your dress,"

Miss Mina said unpleasantly.

"I don't care," Cornelli replied obstinately. "It did not blow down at all, for I threw it down on purpose."

"Oh, is this the way you behave? Next time you can get it yourself,"

said Miss Mina, running away indignantly.

Next morning Cornelli was walking across the courtyard, happily talking to her teacher, whose hand she was holding. During her school hours she had forgotten all the troubles of the day before, for Mr. Malinger had been as kind to her as ever. He at least had not changed.

"Could you give me a little rose?" he asked smilingly, while they were pa.s.sing the blooming rose bushes. So Cornelli quickly ran from bush to bush till she had gathered a fine bunch of dark and light, white and red roses. These she offered to her teacher, warning him not to p.r.i.c.k himself. Then the two parted most cordially.

Cornelli, on coming back, ran swiftly toward the stable. Suddenly, however, she stood stock still, for she remembered that she was not allowed to go there any more. No longer could she see the darling little kid and watch its growth. She would be unable to tell when the moment had come for it to be hitched to a carriage to be driven about by her. She might not be allowed even to do that! She hoped, however, that her father might be back by that time and that then everything would be different. Cornelli danced with joy at that thought, and her old gaiety seemed to return. She felt like going to Esther and talking it all over with her good old friend. The moment the child went into the house, Miss Dorner stepped out of the living room.

"You have just come in time," she said, "for I have to show you something. Where are you going?"

"To the kitchen," replied Cornelli.

"You have nothing whatever to do in the kitchen and you shall not go there. I thought you knew that you have to go upstairs before lunch to fix your hair. But before you go up come in here. I have to tell you something very important."

Cornelli followed her cousin into the room. Miss Grideelen was standing near the window as if she had expected the return of her friend. Leading Cornelli to the sofa, Miss Dorner pointed to it, saying: "You are sure to know who has done this and you had better tell me right away."

On the dark plush coverings were visible distinct marks of dusty shoe soles. There was no trace of a whole foot, but one could see that somebody had trampled on the sofa.