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Page 25
"I want to ask you something first," said the boy, "and then you may
go."
He spoke in a masterful voice, and held fast to the child's frock.
"Tell me this; if you were going to make a speech at a musical
festival, how should you begin?"
"What a stupid question, Feklitus! when you know perfectly well that I
should never do such a thing!" And Elsli tried to pull her dress away
from the boy's hand; but he held her fast.
"I didn't say you would; but suppose you did,--you can suppose
anything,--how would you begin?"
"I don't know, I'm sure; I never thought anything about it in my life."
"Come, now, if you don't tell me, I'll keep you here till after dark.
Come; I'll just make a beginning, to start you. Begin: Highly respected
gentlemen and brothers--now, what next?"
"Let me go; I really ought to go. I have no idea what to say next."
"What an obstinate girl you are!" cried Feklitus angrily; "I'll punish
you for this before long; when you come into the factory, you'll catch
it; you see if you don't!"
This vague threat frightened Elsli the more from its very vagueness; so
she thought for a moment, and then began;--
"Highly respected gentlemen and brothers! Now that we have sung
together, let us rejoice together; and enjoy a long, long festival!"
As Elsli spoke, Feklitus relaxed his hold of her, as she had hoped he
would do; and instantly she darted away like an arrow shot from a bow;
and before Feklitus had recovered from his surprise, she had gone beyond
pursuit. The boy looked thoughtfully after her retreating figure for a
few moments, and then went towards home.
On the next Sunday the great Musical Festival was to take place; and the
banner would be ready but just in season. The day before, there was to
be a rehearsal of the performance, so that Feklitus might try his
speech, and the order of the procession be arranged. A table-cloth tied
to a pole was to take the place of the unfinished banner.
It is needless to say that there was but little appetite for dinner at
Dr. Stein's table on this Saturday; Oscar rose as soon as he could hope
to be excused, and Emma did not remain any longer. She had scarcely
taken her eyes from the clock since she sat down, and had answered at
cross purposes all dinner-time.
"What are you children about now, that you are in such a tremendous
hurry?" asked their father, as they were leaving the room. Emma did not
wait to answer.
But Oscar said:--
"You will see to-morrow. To-day we are going to put up the stand for the
speaker and to arrange the procession. You'll be surprised, I'm sure.
Of course you'll come and hear Feklitus speak?"
"With pleasure. Your mother and aunt will go too, I'm sure. Are you one
of the company, Fred?"
"No, indeed. I have more important things to interest me. It is of more
use to find and to study the smallest common frog than to attend a
thousand musical festivals."
Rikli started as if she thought he was going to produce a specimen of
frog from his pocket at that moment. Oscar cast a look of pity upon his
brother, and left the room.
That afternoon as Mrs. Stein and her sister sat out in the garden, with
their work-basket on the table between them, the former said:--
"It is singular how things repeat themselves. When the children tell us
how Feklitus is constantly running after Elsli, though no one can
understand why, it reminds me of times long ago when his father, stout
Fekli, used to pursue Gritli, and how she used to run on before him,
looking back now and then and calling out with a laugh:--
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