"
"Oh, please forgive her," said Mrs. Maxa. "It is a riddle to me, too,
how she succeeded in entering this garden. I knew nothing about it till
yesterday evening when the children came home from the castle. I am
terribly afraid that Maezli has annoyed you."
"She has not done so at all, for she is her mother's true child," said
the Baron. "She was so anxious to help me and to bring me what I lacked.
Because she loved Leonore so much, she wanted me to know her, too, but I
cannot understand Leonore. She begged and begged to be allowed to see
her uncle, as she wished to live with him and love him like a father.
She even longs to seek him out in a foreign country. What shall I do?
Please give me your advice, Mrs. Maxa."
"There is only one thing to do, Baron," the lady replied with an
overflowing heart. "God Himself has done what we never could have
accomplished, despite all our wishes. The child has been led into your
arms by God and therefore belongs to you from now on. You must become
her father and let her love and take care of you. You will soon realize
what a treasure she is, and through her the good old times will come back
to this castle. You will grow young again yourself as soon as you two
are here together."
The Baron replied: "Our dear Maxa always saw things in an ideal light.
How could a delicate child like Leonore fit into a wilderness like this
castle. Everything here is deserted and forlorn. Just think of the old
watchman here and me, what miserable housemates we should be.
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