And Wiseli related her dream about the beautiful garden with the red
carnations, and a rose-bush on the other side, where the sun shone; and
told him how her mother had taken her by the hand and showed her the
garden, and said that her way led through that. And Wiseli was sure that
her mother had not ceased to pray God to let her child's way be through
that garden,--which was Andrew's garden, and the happiest place in the
world for Wiseli.
"Do not you believe it too, father, now that you know that in my dream
my mother showed me my road to your garden?"
Andrew could not answer. Big tears rolled down his face, but he smiled
all the time that he wept. When, at last, he opened his mouth to speak,
there came such a terrible knocking at the door, that nothing else could
be heard. Open flew the door, and Otto was in the middle of the room
with one leap; then he jumped over a chair, and shouted, "Hurrah! we
have won, and Wiseli is delivered." Pussy came in behind him, ran at
once to her friend, and said, pointing towards the door,--
"Now, Andrew, you will see what is coming for you, to celebrate your
recovery."
Scarcely had she spoken, than the baker's boy came struggling through
the doorway with a big tray upon his head that could scarcely come
through. A good push from behind, however, helped him along, and he put
the tray down on the table. Otto and Pussy had ordered the biggest cake,
to be made at the baker's, that was ever known; and as it would not have
been very large if it were round, they ordered it square, and it quite
filled the oven when it was baked. Old Trine stood behind the baker's
boy, and her big basket was at her feet. She had brought, among other
delicacies, a bottle of good wine; for Mrs. Ritter declared that Andrew
had, in all probability, not eaten a morsel since breakfast, and Wiseli
was probably fasting also; and the child remembered the fact, now that
she saw the feast that Trine spread upon the table. They all took their
places, and a merry company they were. To be sure, the grand cake had to
be cut in halves, and part put away, for otherwise there was not room on
the table for the rest of the supper; but after that they were all more
merry than ever feasters were before.
But the time went by, and Trine stood there waiting to take the children
home,--it was late. Andrew said, at leave-taking,--
"To-day you have prepared a feast for me, and I thank you with all my
heart; but I invite you to come here again on Sunday, and I will give
you a feast,--the feast to celebrate my daughter's adoption."
And so they parted, all rejoicing over the fact of Wiseli being so
happily at home with Andrew, and the children promising to come to the
Sunday celebration. At the door Wiseli gave Otto her hand again, and
said, "I thank you a thousand times for all your kindness to me, Otto.
Cheppi never was so rude to me again after you frightened him that day.
He was afraid to throw things at me. I owe it to your kindness."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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