Gritli's Children

by Johanna Spyri

  CHAPTER II.

  IN THE DOCTOR'S HOUSE AT BUCHBERG.

  The kitchen-garden is the especial delight of the true German housewife;that is, of one who lives in the country where such a luxury ispossible. The flower-garden is a source of pleasure to the whole family;but the vegetable-garden is her own, so to speak; she cares for itherself; she watches each little plant with her own eyes, and removeseach encroaching weed with her own hands. Now this year the cauliflowerswere of unusually fine promise, and they excited the hopes of theirowner that a wonderful harvest would before long reward her care; not atrace of a noxious worm was as yet to be detected.

  "Good evening," said some one from the other side of the hedge; "yourvegetables are always the best and the most forward of any in theneighborhood; they show the care you take of them."

  The doctor's wife came nearer to the hedge, and over the low barrierHeiri, the day-laborer, stretched his hand, stained and knotted withwork, to clasp that of his old friend and schoolmate. How often had hebeen to her for counsel and aid since those school-days, and when hadthat willing and helpful hand ever failed him?

  "How are you all at home, Heiri?" she asked heartily. "Have you plentyof work? Are your wife and children well?"

  "Yes, yes, thank God!" replied Heiri, as he lifted his heavy tools fromhis shoulder and set them on the ground. "There is work enough; I amjust taking these tools to be sharpened. I have to keep hard at it, forthe family is growing big."

  "The three little boys look finely; I saw them go by yesterday withElsli," continued the doctor's wife. "But Elsli herself looks quite toopale and delicate. Do not forget how her mother died, Heiri. The littlegirl ought not to have too much to do; she is not strong, and she isgrowing too fast. Do take it in time, Heiri; you know by sad experiencehow rapidly disease gains ground when it has once got hold of a younggirl."

  "Yes, yes, I can never forget that. It was terrible to see how quicklyGritli sank,--and she so young, so young! Marget is a good wife and anindustrious woman; but nothing will ever make me forget my poor Gritli";and Heiri wiped away a few tears with his hard hand.

  Tears were also in the eyes of the doctor's wife, as she said, "Neithercan I ever forget her, nor how gladly she would have lived for you andthe children, nor how quickly it was all over. Elsli is the very imageof her mother, Heiri, and I cannot help fearing that she is workingbeyond her strength."

  "She's a poor, thin little creature, to be sure," said Heiri; "and itstrikes me, now and then, that she is delicate; but usually she is soquiet that I don't take much notice of her. Now, the boy is much morelike his mother; he's always busy about something, especially aboutkeeping things clean. He can't abide dirt, any more than Gritli could,and he is always at the little ones to make them come and be washed atthe spout. Of course the little boys won't stand that, and they set up ascream, and then out comes their mother, and there's a grand row! Iscarcely ever come home at night that Marget doesn't come complainingof the boy for plaguing the younger children. She wants me to punishhim, but when the little fellow stands up before me, and looks straightinto my eyes with such a look of his mother about him, I cannot bringmyself to strike him. Then Marget is vexed and begins to scold, and I donot like to vex her, for she works hard and means all right. I haveoften thought that perhaps you, Mrs. Stein, would speak a word for me toMarget about punishing the boy; for anything from you would have greatweight with her."

  "Certainly I will, with pleasure. But tell me about Elsli; is Margetkind to her?"

  "Well, this is how it is,"--and Heiri drew a little nearer the hedge andspoke in a confidential tone--"the little girl is more like me, andgives in easily and is not obstinate about having her own way, as herpoor mother was. She does what she is bid, and never answers back whenMarget scolds, nor ever complains, though she has to work from the timeshe gets home from school till she goes to bed; always carrying thebaby, or doing something about the house."

  "But you must not let her do too much, Heiri," said Mrs. Steinseriously. "I am very anxious about her. Ask Marget to come over and seeme: tell her I have some clothes which my children have out-grown, and Ishould like to give them to her if she will come for them."

  "Thank you; I will certainly send her. Good-night I hope you will havegood luck with the cauliflowers"; and, with another shake of his goodfriend's hand, Heiri went off to the smithy.

  The doctor's wife stood lost in thought for several minutes. She waslooking towards her vegetables, but she was thinking of neither beet norcauliflower, though her eyes were resting on the neat rows before her.This talk with Heiri had brought the old days of her childhood forciblyback to her memory. She saw the pretty Gritli with her big brown eyes,as she used to sit weaving forget-me-nots into pretty wreaths with herskilful fingers; always putting a few into her belt and into her hair.Gritli was the child of poor parents, but she was always neatly dressed,and, though her clothes were of the coarsest stuff, yet there was apeculiar look of daintiness about her, which, with the bit of color inflower or ribbon that was never wanting in her costume, gave theimpression that she had just been dressed by an artist, as a model for apicture. Many criticised this daintiness and many laughed at it, but itmade no difference to Gritli; for indeed it was only the instinctiveexpression of the girl's natural longing for the beautiful.

  At eighteen, Gritli married Heiri, a good-hearted fellow who had longloved her. But after five years of married life she died, of a rapidconsumption; leaving two children, Stefan and Elsli, four and threeyears old. It was not long before Heiri found that he needed help in thecare of these little ones, and, taking the advice of friends andneighbors, he married Marget, who was recommended to him as speciallycapable of looking after his house and children. She proved indeed agood house-keeper; but for ornaments and flowers she had no taste, andshe did not see the use of being over particular about neatness either,so that Heiri's household soon lost the air of refinement which had beennoticeable during Gritli's life.

  Marget's three children did not get by any means the nice care thatFani and Elsli had received from their own mother, and Gritli's childrenretained an air of distinction that was ineffaceable, and that markedthem as quite different from the younger set.

  The memories that passed almost like a vision before the eyes of thedoctor's wife, as she stood apparently studying her kitchen-garden, wererudely dispelled by a piercing scream that resounded from the house; andpresently an eight-year-old girl came running round the corner, pursuedby her older brother; a big lad, who held a huge volume under his leftarm, and had something tightly clutched in his right hand.

  "Rikli! what a fearful noise! come here to me! what has happened now?"

  The girl screamed louder and hid her face in the skirts of her mother'sdress.

  "Now, just look at the innocent cause of this ridiculous disturbance,mother," said Fred. "Only this pretty, dear little froggy, that Icaught, and was holding out for Rikli to admire. Just let me read youthis description, and you will see how exactly it agrees with Mr. Froghimself. Look, mamma, look!" and Fred opened his hand and showed a smallgreen frog.

  "Stand still, and be quiet, Rikli," said her mother to the crying girl,"and, Fred, why do you persist in showing the silly child thesecreatures, when you know how much she is afraid of them?"

  "She was the only person near," answered Fred. "But do listen to this,mamma." Fred opened his book, and began to read:--

  "'The green or water frog, _esculenta_, is about three inches in length,grass-green, with black spots. His eyes have a golden color, and thetoes of his hind legs are webbed. His voice, which is often heard onwarm summer nights, sounds _Brekekex!_ He passes the winters hidden inthe mud and slime. He feeds upon'--"

  At this moment a carriage was heard approaching. "It is the lady withthe sick child," said Mrs. Stein, putting Fred aside rather hastily, forhe tried to detain her. He followed her, crying out:--

  "Do listen, mamma; you do not know what he eats. He eats--"

  The carriage was at the door. Hans
came from the stable, and Kathri, inher best white apron, from the kitchen, to lift out the sick girl andcarry her into the house. Fred and Rikli stood back by the hedge, asstill as mice, watching the proceedings.

  First, a lady alighted from the carriage, and beckoned to Kathri, whocame forward, lifted out the pale child, and carried her up the stepsinto the house. The lady followed with Mrs. Stein.

  "That girl is a great deal bigger than you are, if mother did say thatshe was only eight or nine years old," said Fred to Rikli. "She is morenearly Emma's age, and what do you suppose she would think to hear youscreaming as you did just now? I don't think she'd like you for afriend."

  "Well, at any rate, she wouldn't always have centipedes and frogs andspiders in her pockets, as you have, Fred," retorted Rikli; and she wasabout to add some farther excuse for her screams, when Fred opened hishand to see how his frog was getting on, and lo! the little creaturemade one big jump right towards Rikli's face! With a piercing cry, thechild flew into the house, but was instantly stopped by Kathri, with:

  "Hush! hush! When there is that sick little girl in there, how can youmake such a noise?"

  "Where is aunty?" asked Rikli; a question that the maid answered beforeit was fairly uttered, for it was asked hundreds of times in thathousehold every day.

  "In the other room. The sick girl is in here, and you mustn't go in,your mother says. And as for screaming like a pig, you mustn't do thateither, in a respectable house," added Kathri, on her own account.

  Rikli hastened into the room where her aunt was, to tell her aboutFred's horrid frog, and how it had jumped almost into her very face. Heraunt was listening to Oscar, the eldest brother, who was talkingearnestly.

  "You see, aunty," he was saying, "that if Feklitus does not object, wecan put the two verses together; then ours could go here, and the otherthere, and both would be used. Won't that do?"

  "Yes, that will be very nice indeed," said his aunt in a tone ofconviction; "that will remove all difficulties; and the verses arereally very suitable, as such verses ought to be."

  "You will help Emma with the embroidery, won't you, aunty? You know shewill never finish the banner by herself. She is always up to so manypranks, and she cannot keep at one thing half an hour at a time."

  His aunt promised her assistance, and he ran off, well pleased, to tellhis friends of their new ally. Rikli thought her chance had come now,but before she could begin her story Emma rushed in, crying, almost outof breath:--

  "Aunty! aunty! They are all going to gather strawberries--a lot of boysand girls--may I go too? Say 'yes' quick, for I can't get at mamma andthey won't wait."

  "Strawberries to-day, violets yesterday, and blueberries to-morrow;always something or other; that is the way with you, Emma. Well, go, butdo not stay out too late."

  "I want to go too," cried Rikli, and started after her sister.

  But Emma, clearing the steps in two jumps, called back:--

  "No, you can't go into the woods; there are red snails there and beetlesand--"

  But Rikli did not wait to hear more; she was reminded of the frog, andturned back to tell her story, when she saw Fred coming in with his bookunder his arm. He seated himself by his aunt and opened the book.

  "How nice it is to find you, aunty," he began, "Mamma couldn't wait tohear the end of this description; and it was a pity, for I had foundsuch a perfect specimen. But I'll find another to-morrow to show you."

  "No! no!" cried Rikli. "Say 'no,' aunty; it will jump right into yourface, and it has yellow eyes like a dragon's."

  Fred had doubled up his fist as if he had something in it, and now hesuddenly opened it into his sister's face. She sprang back with a cry,and away through the door.

  "Now we can have a little peace," said Fred, well pleased at the successof his trick; and he began to read.

  "'The green or water-frog, _esculenta_'--"

  At this moment the house-door was opened, and they heard footsteps andvoices in the passage-way.

  "Come," said his aunt, "let us look out at the little sick girl who isgoing away; then we will come back to the frog."

  They went to the window and looked out. A sad expression came into thegood aunt's face as she saw the little girl lifted into the carriage.

  "How sick and pale she looks, poor little thing! or, rather, poorsorrowful mother!" she said, as her eyes fell on the face of the ladywho was at this moment pressing Mrs. Stein's hand, while tears wererunning, unheeded, down her cheeks.

  The carriage rolled away. Fred returned to his book; but he had nochance to go on with the description of the frog, for his mother,greatly excited over the sight of the suffering child and the anxiousmother, came to talk it over with her sister, with whom she consultedabout everything that took place in the family, so that the householdwould have been as much at a loss without "aunty" as without father ormother. Fred saw that this was not his opportunity; so, exacting apromise from his aunt that she would give him a chance with his frogjust before bed-time, he took himself off.

  Then Mrs. Stein told her sister all about her painful interview withMrs. Stanhope. The child, she said, was so pale and transparent-lookingthat she seemed already to belong more to heaven than to earth; but themother would not believe it, and had eagerly explained, in a burst oftears, that it was only the fatigue of the journey which made Nora lookso ill, and that she was sure that the mountain air would soon restoreher darling to health. Was she trying to deceive herself?

  While Mrs. Stein was speaking, the sound of a horse's hoofs was heard,and she hurried out to meet her husband and to tell him of Mrs.Stanhope's arrival. The doctor hastened away on foot to pay a visit tohis new patient. Not until late in the evening did he return; long afterthe children were safe in their beds. Fred, by the way, had perseveredtill he had secured his aunt long enough to give her a thorough accountof the appearance of the "green or water-frog." It had been no easytask, for each of the children had some special need of her thatevening, and his mother, too; and even Kathri asked for "one word"; butFred was not to be cheated, and he came out triumphant at last.

  The doctor sat down hungry at the supper-table, and not one word did hespeak to his expectant wife and sister, until he had satisfied hisappetite. He shook his head doubtfully, in answer to their questionsabout Nora.

  "There is nothing to build upon," he said; "the little plant has nostrength. It is not a case of failing health, but of utter want ofvitality from the very beginning. If our mountain air can work amiracle, we may see her restored; if not, there is no hope."

  His wife and "aunty" were grieved at this reply, though they hadexpected nothing better; but they tried to take a more cheerful view.

  "While there is life, there is hope," they said, "and our mountain airdoes certainly work wonders."

  "I should like to have Emma go to see the little girl, and try to amuseher now and then," said the doctor presently; "Emma has too many schemesin her head; perhaps she will drop some of them if she gets interestedin this child, and I am sure it would be a good thing; for her projectsalmost always end in some kind of mishap. Nora will be ratherastonished, probably, at some of her suggestions, but it will do no harmto the poor child to have some new and interesting ideas introduced intoher restricted life, and there is no chance of her being enticed intojoining in Emma's wild pranks. It will be good for both of them to betogether."

  Mrs. Stein was pleased at the idea of a friendship between the girls.Nora's gentleness and delicacy might have a softening influence on herimpulsive little daughter, while, on the other hand, Emma's active,happy spirits could not fail to attract Nora, and to draw her out ofherself.

  Later in the evening, while the doctor was busy with his arrangementsfor the next day's work, his wife and her sister sat together, as usual,over the great basket that stood always well supplied with mending andsewing of various kinds. They talked over the experiences of the day,the conduct of the children, and the general affairs of the household,and took counsel together for the day to come. This wa
s the only time inthe twenty-four hours that they could call their own, and they couldhardly have got along without it; for their lives were so closelyinterwoven that they needed this interchange of thoughts to help eachother and themselves. Naturally, the children were first discussed, withtheir varied joys and sorrows, wants and wishes; next, the doctor'spatients, who came to the house from far and near; and last, the manycalls for sympathy and advice that reached their ears and their heartsfrom all the country round about; for many were those who brought theirtroubles of all kinds to this hospitable house, where they were alwayssure of help and encouragement, of support in word and deed. So the twosisters, on this, as on many another evening, had so many things ofinterest to discuss and decide, that, under their busy hands, the heapof unmended stockings in the work-basket melted away unobserved, whilemany a neighborly plan and kindly conspiracy were hatched by their warmhearts and busy heads; and it was very late when at last they separatedto their well earned rest.