Would
you give up trusting a friend right away if he did not act the way you
expected him to?"
"No, no," Salo said quickly, "such a friend could not trust me any more
either. I mean it differently. The friend ought to hate to do wrong and
ought to want to do right. He ought to be most sorry if he did not come
up to the best."
Bruno could now gladly and joyfully assent. Suddenly the two boys heard
their names called out loudly. Turning round they saw Kurt and Lippo
hurrying towards them and the uncle following with Mea at a slower pace.
"Wait, wait!" Kurt cried out so loudly that the echo sounded back again
from the castle, "Wait, wait!"
The two friends were doing just what had been asked of them, for they
were sitting quietly on the turf. The brothers had now reached them, and
Mea soon followed with the uncle, whose face showed signs of
perturbation.
"I hope you have not run up to the castle with Salo, Bruno," he cried out
with agitation.
"Oh, no, uncle," Bruno replied, "we sat down here on the way up. I just
wanted to show Salo the castle that belonged to his uncle, but he does
not know anything about it. He thinks that it has been sold long ago
because he never heard about it."
"Good!" said Uncle Philip with satisfaction. "Now let us quickly go
home. It is not right to starve a guest on his first visit; he might
never come again."
"Oh, I certainly shall, Mr.--," here Salo hesitated, "I do not remember
the name," he added, quite concerned.
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