"Oh, a very good thing," exclaimed Anna. "How kind you are! You are sure it won't bore you frightfully?" "Oh, not a bit. It will be rather amusing to go into those shops for once, and I shall like to feel that I have helped the good work on a little." Anna thought Trudi delightful. Trudi's new friends always did think her delightful; and she never had any old ones. She drove recklessly, and they lurched and heaved through the sand between Kleinwalde and Lohm at an alarming rate. They passed Letty and Miss Leech, going for their afternoon walk, who stood on one side and stared. "Who's that?" asked Trudi. "My brother's little girl and her governess." "Oh yes, I heard about them. They are to stay and take care of you till you have a companion. Your sister-in-law didn't like Kleinwalde?" "No." Trudi laughed. They passed Dellwig, riding, who swept off his hat with his customary deference, and stared. "Do you like him?" asked Trudi. "Who?" "Dellwig. I know him from the days before I married." "I don't know him very well yet," said Anna, "but he seems to be very--very polite." Trudi laughed again, and cracked her whip. "My uncle had great faith in him," said Anna, slightly aggrieved by the laugh. "Your uncle was one of the best farmers in Germany, I have always heard. He was so experienced, and so clever, that he could have led a hundred Dellwigs round by the nose. Dellwig was naturally quite small, as we say, in the presence of your uncle. He knew very well it would be useless to be anything but immaculate under such a master. Perhaps your uncle thought he would go on being immaculate from sheer habit, with nobody to look after him." "I suppose he did," said Anna doubtfully. "He told me to keep him. It's quite certain that _I_ can't look after him." They passed Axel Lohm, also riding. He was on Trudi's side of the road. He looked pleased when he saw Anna with his sister. Trudi whipped up the cobs, regardless of his feelings, and tore past him, scattering the sand right and left. When she was abreast of him, she winked her eye at him with perfect solemnity. Axel looked stony. CHAPTER XI Neither Trudi nor Anna had ever worked so hard as they did during the few days that ended March and began April. Everything seemed to happen at once. The house was in a sudden uproar. There were people whitewashing, people painting, people putting up papers, people bringing things in carts from Stralsund, people trimming up the garden, people coming out to offer themselves as servants, Dellwig coming in and shouting, Manske coming round and glorifying--Anna would have been completely bewildered if it had not been for Trudi, who was with her all day long, going about with a square of lace and muslin tucked under her waist-ribbon which she felt was becoming and said was an apron.