John answered, “Yes,” and added, “that they had also a stork’s nest upon the housetop.” This made Amrie completely happy. She imitated the chattering of the storks, and described, so as to make John laugh, the grave and earnest expression of the stork, as he stood upon one leg and looked down into his house.
Was it by agreement, or was it the inward power of these moments of happiness, that they said nothing; that they did not appear to think of what lay before them,—their entrance into the parental house, till towards evening when they reached the district in which Zusmarshofen lay. But now as John began to meet peeple who knew him, greeted him, and looked at them curiously, he said to Amrie, “He had thought of two plans, as to the best way of proceeding. Either he would take her to his sister, who lived very near (they could see the church tower of the village behind that hill), and he would go alone to the house and make every thing known, or she should go immediately to his parents and offer herself as a servant.”
Amrie showed her decision and good sense as they analyzed these proceedings, and the objections to them. If she went first to the sister, she would have to win over a person who could, after all, not decide for them, and who, differing from them, might imbitter their future intercourse. It would also leave a report in the neighborhood, that she had not dared to venture into his house. The second plan was better, but it went against her whole soul, to enter his father’s house with a lie on her tongue. It was true, that his mother, many years before, had promised to take her into service, but she could not now be in service, and it would be as a thief, that she would thus steal into her favor. Beside, in such a false position, under a mask, as it were, she could do nothing well. If she were placing a chair for his father, she should certainly throw it down, thinking she was deceiving him. And even if this did not happen, how must she appear to the other servants, when later they learnt that the mistress had smuggled herself into the house as a servant; and worse than all, she would not be able to speak a single word with him.
She concluded with these words,—“I have said all this, because you wished to know my opinion. When we consider any thing together, I must speak my mind openly and truly, but at the same time, whatever you wish, if you say so firmly, I shall do it, whether I agree with you in opinion or not. I shall follow you without contradiction whenever I know your wishes.”
“Yes, yes, you are right,” said John. “Neither of those roads was the true one. But we are now so near that we must decide upon something. Do you see that opening in the forest upon the mountain, where there is a little hut, and the cows as small as beetles? That is our early spring dairy. There I will place our Dami.”
Amrie exclaimed, astonished, “Ah! where will not men venture? But that must be good grassland.”
“Yes; but if my father should give the farm to me, I shall introduce more stall-feeding. It is more profitable. But old people must remain by old customs. Ah! what am I tattling about, when we are so near. Ah! had we only thought sooner.”
“Keep only calm. We must calmly consider it,” said Amrie. “I have a trace of what to do, but it is not yet wholly clear.”
“How? What is it?”
“No, you must consider also; perhaps you will hit upon something. It belongs to you to settle it. We are both in such embarrassment now, that we will pause, and perhaps we shall both think of something.”