Esther, laden with the dinner dishes, now came into the room to set
the table. She informed her master that the guest rooms were ready and
that she supposed the ladies wanted to retire before the coming meal.
Mrs. Halm and her daughter gladly followed her, but Cornelli said:
"Oh, Papa, can I run over to Martha? I'll be back very soon."
Dino also begged to go, for he longed to see old Martha again. As the
permission had readily been given, the two children started off. They
had meant to run down the path, but Cornelli could not go fast. The
meadow was so full of daisies, buttercups and especially of blue
forget-me-nots, her favorite flowers, that she felt as if she had to
gather them all, and Dino had to remind her that their time was short
and that the flowers would still be there to-morrow.
Martha had heard that Cornelli and her guests were expected that day,
so she had several times glanced towards the garden to see if she could
discover trace of her or of Dino. Now both came flying up the steps,
and Martha ran out to meet them.
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