to do so because Bruno had always been very dear to him.

Mrs. Maxa, sitting silently with folded hands, was lost in thought.
This was something that happened very seldom.

But Mea stood before her and trying to get her sympathy with passionate
gestures. "Just think, mother," she cried out, "Elvira is so angry now
that she will never have anything more to do with me, no never. But she
was most offended because I told her that it was wrong of her; not to
admit that she had chattered in school. She said quite sarcastically
that if I chose to correct her on account of that raggedy Loneli, I
should keep Loneli for a friend and not her."

"Let her be for once," said the mother. "Till now you have always gone
after her; so do what she wishes this time. It is wrong to call Loneli
raggedy; few people are as honest and agreeable as Apollonie and her
grandchild."

Mea was ready with many more complaints, for whenever anything bothered
her, she felt the need to tell her mother. She realized, though, that
she had to put off further communications for a quiet evening hour.

Bruno had approached, and turning to his mother, asked in great suspense:
"Mother, what did Mr. Rector write to you? Have the plum-thieves been
discovered?"

"I do not think that they have brought his decision about, but I am sure
they hastened it. Read the letter," said his mother, handing it to him.

"That is not so bad," Bruno said after reading it. "As soon as you send
me to town I shall be rid of them at last, and I won't have to bother
about them any more. You know, mother, that all they care about is to do
mean and nasty things."

"But they will go to town, too, and then you will be thrown together.
There won't be anybody then who cares for you and will listen to you,"
the mother lamented.

"Do not worry, mother, the town is big and we won't be so close together.
I'll keep far enough away from them, you may be sure. Don't let it
trouble you," Bruno reassured her.

Kurt was so much occupied at lunch with his own plans and ideas that he
never even noticed when his favorite dessert appeared on the table.
Lippo, seriously looking at him, said quite reproachfully, "Now you don't
even see that we have apple-dumpling." Such an indifference seemed wrong
to the little boy.

But Kurt even swallowed the apple-dumpling absent-mindedly. After lunch
he begged his mother's permission to be allowed to leave immediately,
because he still had so much to talk ov