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Page 16
"It will be a good thing for Emma to have a friend of her own; then
perhaps she'll let other people's friends alone," said Oscar, in a tone
of satisfaction.
Emma made no reply, but went quietly to bed; she had not the least idea
of giving up her friendship for Fani, to please anybody.
As they were all going upstairs in a little family procession,--first
Oscar, then Emma, then the aunt, and last the two younger
children,--Fred turned to Rikli and said:--
"Haha, Rikli, this goes capitally!" and he sang in a loud voice to a
tune of his own making:--
"Hanseli is a cry-baby,
Rikli is another;
She is so much like him,
He must be her brother."
Rikli was breaking out into an indignant cry at this unflattering
comparison, but her aunt turned and took her by the hand, saying:--
"Not again to-day, my dear, nor yet to-morrow, I hope. Show Fred that he
is wholly wrong in likening you to that spoilt child."
It often happened, as to-night, that the mother was prevented by other
duties from going up with the children to see them safe in their beds;
and then the aunt had to go the rounds alone, and the children often
came near quarrelling over her, for each one thought that the others had
more than their fair share of her time and attention. To-night Fred was
the unlucky one, and when his turn came, at last, he said quite
earnestly:--
"I wish, aunty, that you could be divided in two and then multiplied by
four, so that we could have two of you apiece; and then we should all
get our rights."
Aunty was all ready to give Fred his full rights now; but at that moment
came Kathri with imperative need of her in the kitchen, so she had to
rob him of his share to-night; but she promised to make it up by giving
him a double portion before the others to-morrow night.
CHAPTER V.
ON OAK-RIDGE.
When Dr. Stein received from his medical brother on the Rhine a letter,
asking him to look out for a suitable summer lodging for Mrs. Stanhope
and her little invalid daughter, he naturally turned the matter over to
his wife, who of course took her sister into consultation. The first
thing that suggested itself was the unused second story of Mr. Bickel's
great house. The doctor's wife immediately went to make inquiries, but
she met with no encouragement. Mrs. Bickel declared that she could not
spare any rooms; in the first place, she needed them herself; and then
she wondered how any one could think of such a thing as that she should
let strangers into her beautifully furnished apartments, which no one
had ever yet occupied. Mrs. Stein hastened to apologize; she only asked
for a friend, and meant no harm by asking; but it was so difficult to
find lodgings in Buchberg, and this was a case of great need. Mrs.
Bickel could not get over it, however, and long afterwards from time to
time she would break out to her husband, "Do you suppose that doctor's
wife thought we built this house to let?" and Mr. Bickel, equally
indignant, would add, "And to people that we know nothing whatever
about; nor even whether they would pay their rent!"
Mrs. Stein, disappointed in her first trial, bethought herself, as she
turned away from the Bickel mansion, of a certain new house that had
just been built on Oak-ridge by a man who occupied only the lower
floor; the upper story standing empty, waiting for the owner's son, who
was to be married in the autumn. There was a wonderfully beautiful view
from the windows out and far away over the green hills, with a
background of snow-covered mountains, and westward down the wooded
valley, through which rushed the waters of a mountain stream. Mrs. Stein
immediately turned her steps towards the Oak-ridge; and in a few
moments' interview all was happily arranged, to the satisfaction of both
parties; and in a few days, with her assistance, the rooms were nicely
furnished and stood ready for the reception of the lodgers.
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