Cornelli Part 19

"You are getting more awkward every day, Trina," Nika said crossly.

Cornelli blushed. She felt as if these words were meant for her as well. She must be just as awkward in Nika's eyes as Trina was. The latter failed to excuse herself and from embarra.s.sment became more clumsy in her movements. Cornelli understood this perfectly; that was what she always did, she knew it quite well.

"Now we shall have supper," said the mother, "and when the children's work is done we shall all sing together. Don't you sing, too, Cornelli?"

"I probably do not know the songs, and so I can't sing," she replied shyly.

After supper Mux fled back to Cornelli with his book. He wanted to renew his conversation with her, but his mother had a different plan.

"Give your book to Cornelli, for it is time for you to retire," she said. "You can join us again to-morrow."

Mux departed reluctantly.

When his mother was firmly leading him away, he was still able to call to Cornelli: "Be sure not to go till I come back!"

Cornelli felt quite frightened when her confiding little friend had gone. Now for the first time she was left alone with the two sisters.

She wondered what would happen. But nothing happened. They were both so deeply occupied with their work that they did not even raise their heads. Cornelli now remembered the lovely story book. She had already begun a story and she simply had to know how it would end. So she began to read. As soon as she finished one story, a new wonderful picture would lead her to another story.

Suddenly some splendid music sounded close beside her, and Cornelli started. Agnes was sitting at the piano close to her side and playing.

Cornelli could not read any more, for Agnes played one lovely tune after another as quickly and easily as if it did not cause her any trouble. She knew from Dino that Agnes was not much more than a year older than she was. She listened with admiration to the beautiful melodies that were pouring forth from the instrument. Finally the mother returned. She had made her nightly visit to Dino and had had several things to say to him.

"Mama," Agnes called to her eagerly, "I am playing all the merry pieces I know to-night, for I have just finished my long composition."

"You are right, Agnes. And how are you getting along with your painting, Nika?" asked the mother.

Nika replied quite sadly that she had hoped to finish it that day, but the days were very short now and she could not paint by lamp light.

Her mother should see how little her work still lacked.

"If I had one hour more of daylight, I could finish it," she sighed.

Nika placed a large painting under the bright lamp. It somewhat resembled the beautiful pictures which decorated the walls of the room.

The colors in it were perfectly wonderful, and Cornelli had never before seen such a lovely picture. Sparkling crimson roses were hanging down an old wall and dense ivy was creeping up between them with shiny green leaves. An old oak tree was stretching large gnarled branches over the decayed wall, and below, a clear stream was peacefully flowing out to a meadow, where glowing red and blue flowers seemed to greet it joyfully.

Cornelli stared at the lovely picture; she had never seen anything like this glittering stream, the painted trees and flowers; one seemed to hear the murmuring of the brook, far, far away through the meadow.

It was all so full of life! And to think that Nika had painted it!

Cornelli felt as if a deep, deep gulf lay between her and the two sisters, a chasm that separated her from them forever.

The two sisters seemed to stand before her like two splendid creatures, full of beauty and fine gifts, while she stood there a stupid, awkward, block-headed Trina, whom n.o.body on earth ever could possibly love.

Mrs. Halm gave Nika great encouragement by praising her work and urging her to begin promptly next day.

Then she sat down at the piano, for they always concluded their evening with a song.

Cornelli remained still. The rector's wife urged her to join them, but Cornelli had had too many impressions that day to be able to sing. She knew quite well the old evening song that they were singing, for Martha had taught it to her long ago, but she felt as if she could not utter a note.

At the end of the song Agnes suddenly exploded: "Oh, mother, that is nothing at all. When you are hoa.r.s.e and Dino is in bed, our singing is frightful. Nika only squeaks like a little chicken with a sore throat."

"Well, then one has to stop singing," said Nika, shaking her shoulders a little proudly.

"No, the whole household has to sing, otherwise it is not worth anything," Agnes declared. "It is a shame that the most beautiful thing in the world should be so little practiced."

After the song was ended the mother took Cornelli kindly by the hand and said: "I am sure that you are tired, dear child. I am going to take you to a tiny bedroom, for I have no larger one. Your door leads into Agnes' and Nika's room," she continued, when she was standing with Cornelli in the little chamber.

"You can open the door and then you are practically all three in a single room."

Then she said good-night cordially and wished Cornelli a good rest.

Nika and Agnes quickly said good-night, too, and then Cornelli was alone in her room.

She had no desire to open the door, for her shyness had only increased since her arrival. How high the two stood above her! Cornelli was not a bit sleepy and kept on thinking of all the things that had happened to her that day.

What did Agnes mean when she spoke about the most beautiful thing in the world? Did she mean singing? That was not the most beautiful thing by any means. The most wonderful of all was a painting like Nika's, with lovely roses and trees and the meadow with clear water. At last Cornelli's eyes closed, but she kept on seeing the flowers and seemed to be looking up admiringly at Nika, who stood beside her, tall and beautiful. Cornelli thought: If she would only say one pleasant word to me. Then Nika turned around to her and said: "You are an awkward, block-headed Cornelli!" All this Cornelli saw and heard in her dream.

Agnes said to her sister in the other room: "If only Cornelli would say something! One cannot tell what she is thinking about. How could Dino find her so amusing, and become her friend? She sits there all the time and never says a word."

"That is her least fault," Nika returned. "But it is horrid that she insists on looking like a wild islander. I do not understand why Mama did not push the frightful locks out of her eyes."

CHAPTER IX

A GREAT CHANGE

Next morning Mux had hardly opened his eyes when he desired to go again straightway to Cornelli, for this had been promised him the night before. Before he succeeded, however, he had to submit to his usual fate in the morning. He ran into the room at last, neatly washed and combed and with cheeks shining like two red apples. Cornelli was already sitting in a corner of the room, listening attentively to Agnes'

playing. He flew towards her and saw his beloved book already in her hands.

"Oh, now we shall read and tell stories all day long," he called out happily. "All the others have to go to school."

But Mux had forgotten that breakfast came first of all. After the meal the two sisters departed, but Dino knocked and clamored for Cornelli to come to him. Mux loudly protested against this and only calmed down when Cornelli promised to keep him company during Dino's rest hour.

He kept on objecting and murmuring to himself even after she had gone.

Cornelli was quite thrilled and overcome by the thought that anybody should love her so, and it did her more good than anything else. As soon as she came to Dino's room he asked her if she would read to him, too, for he had found out how much she enjoyed reading to Mux out of his picture book.

"Have you entertaining books, too?" asked Cornelli with hesitation.

In her mind she saw her own beautiful books at home, that she had left alone because so many things in them had been unintelligible.

"I should say so! You just ought to see them," said Dino. "Please take down the book called 'Funny Journeys.' There are pictures in it, too.

They are not as big as in the other book and are not colored, but they are so comical that they make one laugh all the time."

Cornelli got the book down, and in a little while merry peals of laughter filled the room. The mother, who heard, was happily smiling and saying to herself: "No, no, all is not yet lost."

So the week pa.s.sed by. Cornelli spent most of her time reading aloud to Dino and to Mux. She grew more eager all the time in this occupation, and if Mux would suddenly want to play with soldiers, Cornelli would say: "You can easily play that alone. Let me read this and later I'll tell you all about it." So she had soon finished reading the whole big book.

Cornelli had so far scarcely become acquainted with the two girls, and Nika had rarely spoken to her. On Sat.u.r.day morning the mother entered Dino's room just after Cornelli had finished reading such a funny tale that both children still laughed aloud at the remembrance.

"Children, to-morrow Cornelli's father is expecting to hear from me.