She loved their mother so much and had been so closely
drawn to her that she was fond of the children before she had even seen
them. This pleased them tremendously, for they had expected Leonore to
be very different from themselves and had been rather afraid of her. As
soon as they saw her, they felt that they might each be special friends
with their charming guest. Leonore found herself surrounded by them all
in a corner of the sofa. As she did not look at all strong yet, the
mother had led her there. Leonore tried to answer all the questions,
listen to all the projects and information which were showered upon her,
while her eyes danced with merriment. These unusual surroundings made
Leonore so happy that her face became quite rosy. Mea had been already
completed in her mind a plan which, if it succeeded, would make it
possible for her to have Leonore to herself sometimes. Since all her
brothers and sisters liked the visitor so much, it was not easy to get
her off alone. If only her mother would sanction the plan! That day Mea
had to set the table, and when lunch time had come, she quickly ran to
her mother to ask her if she might take Apollonie's place in Leonore's
room, and to her great delight she willingly consented. Mea told her she
would only be too glad to wait on Leonore at night if she could but be
with her. Leonore really needed no more special care, and in case of an
emergency Mea could easily run down to fetch her mother.
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