By the time Cara was a tall girl of eight, her mother felt that her home for life was on the Lake of Lucerne, and had accommodated herself to this conviction. On holidays, she and Cara went boating with Fritz, or made excursions up the mountains, whither Cara pleased—everything was done with the view of pleasing the child, who, well cared for, well dressed, and well amused, was an amazingly pretty, headstrong, and unmanageable girl.—Only as far as her mother was concerned—she was still a little in awe of Frau Hurter, and of Jost’s grim wife.
Cara had suffered herself to be taught her letters, and even mastered ‘Reading Without Tears’; but there she struck. History stories, and pretty maps were flouted, and flung on the floor, and to her teacher’s soft pleading—and even bribes—she interposed a will as hard and solid as a wall of rock. Cara persistently begged and teased to go to school in Mitzau; as usual she gained her point, and accompanied by her mother or Freda, went daily to an excellent seminary within a mile of Les Plans, where she associated with the children of the neighbouring farms. Among these, she soon became a prominent leader, and absorbed many facts and fancies, in addition to German Grammar, and the history of the Swiss Republic.
CHAPTER XXVI
FIVE times had the hill orchards blazed into blossom, the Alpine wild flowers spread their radiance over the slopes, and the white stillness of winter descended on the scene, and yet the English lady remained faithful to Les Plans. She had become a part of the household, but Cara, who adventured her young tendrils further than the farm, had many resources and associates in the neighbourhood—though her pretty mother contented herself with the company of Frau Hurter, her books, and her needle. Owing to an acute financial crisis, the piano had been sold. Letty had a horror of debt, and when she made reckless purchases, paid for her generosity by hours and weeks of close and incessant labour, the result being a wan face and agonising headaches. Then Frau Hurter, with downright speech, would drive her forth for walks, and clamour fiercely for half holidays.
“Mein Frau, you will have an illness, and a bad one,” she would say; “and the doctors, they eat up money. Ach ye! you sit all day stitch, stitch. You must have our good fresh air and exercise, or you may die—and then where would Mitli be, and I?”
So Letty, with Karo as her companion, took the holidays and long walks and roamed over the mountains along goat-paths, and by quaint old farms, and weather-worn brown chalets. Her thoughts were not always happy; sometimes she felt a touch of soul-ache; for the warm blood of youth still throbbed in her veins. It was true, that she had Cara, and Cara’s love was hers; but then she was but nine years old, and her natural disposition was unresponsive. How she longed for a companion of her own country, and her own age—someone whose ideas soared beyond school-fellows and sweets—and it struck her painfully at times, that Cara avoided her! Often, when she descended to fetch her darling home, the child would slip from her side, and attach herself to a class-mate, and whisper eager confidences,—leaving her deserted parent to walk alone; or when of an evening she was ready to help with lessons, dress dolls, and play games, Cara would suddenly jump up, and exclaim:
“Oh, this is stupid! stupid! I am going to look for Fritz.”
But if subsequently a warm arm stole round Letty’s neck, and a soft cheek were laid on hers, certain dark misgivings were scattered to the winds, and the spirit of patient confidence resumed its sovereignty. Occasionally she went to Lucerne—commercial excursions, connected with the sale of her work—and would treat herself to a concert at the Casino, an organ recital at the Hof Kirche, or visit friends in the Wienplatz and the Weggisgasse. Her beauty, though unadorned, was far too striking to be overlooked. This lovely and lonely young lady, was stared at, followed, accosted. Strangers—dealt with by Frau Hurter—and letters, came to Les Plans—offers of marriage were not unknown! A wealthy merchant from Milan; a dark handsome Spaniard, presented himself as an anxious suitor for the hand of the exquisite young widow—a lady to whom he had never spoken, but whose dazzling beauty and air of breeding, had captured his heart. A clever engineer from Berne, also wrote impassioned and insistent love-letters.
“Tell them, Frau Hurter, that I have a husband in England,” said Letty with tremulous energy.