"Oh, I'm just staying with Catalina."
"That's too much!" cried Louis, "to stay here while the rest of us go on a holiday. Papa, you won't permit such a silly thing; will you?"
"Well, she begged me with tears to let her stay and there she is," said father.
"Good-bye, uncle; good-bye, Teresa—A happy journey to you all," cried Paula. "Give a good hug and a kiss to grandmother and to grandfather," we heard her say as we turned the corner.
"She isn't a bit like the rest of us," said Louis, "she never seems to seek her own pleasure, and yet the funny thing about it is, she's always happy. I can't understand a nature like that."
"It's because she finds her happiness in making other people happy," said
Teresa.
This was also what our grandmother said, when we explained Paula's absence.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE CAT MOTHER
It was the month of October. I was sure that my father would permit Paula to go to school with me after the summer vacation, but not so. Catalina herself wished to teach her at home. This decision caused me many tears and complainings.