The mother's
attempts to comfort them failed entirely, because she had no hope
herself.
In the middle of this agitating scene Maezli arrived, perfectly happy and
filled with her recent experiences. She wished to relate what the
Castle-Steward had said to her and what she had said to him, and what had
happened afterwards. But no one listened because they were so deeply
absorbed with their own disturbing thoughts. They were not in the least
interested in what Maezli had to say about the Steward, as they all
thought that the steward was Mr. Trius. That evening the unheard-of
happened. Maezli actually begged to go to bed before the evening song had
been sung, because the depressing atmosphere in the house was so little
to her taste that she even preferred to go to bed.
Mea had been hoping till now that her mother would find some means to
keep Leonore. If it could not be the way Apollonie planned, she might at
least stay for a long stretch of time. All of a sudden this hope was
gone entirely, and the day of separation was terribly near. The girl
looked so completely miserable when she started out for school next day
that the mother had not the heart to let her go without a little comfort.
"You only need to go to school two more days, Mea," she said. "Next week
you can stay home and spend all your time with Leonore."
Mea was very glad to hear it, but without uttering a word she ran away,
for everything that concerned Leonore brought tears to her eyes.
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