“Why did you do that, Tutor Ink?” asked the Count, somewhat annoyed.
“Well, it’s just my way!” answered Tutor Ink; “I can’t alter it!” and with that he stuck his hands to his sides, and went on laughing until his voice sounded like the noise of a broken rattle.
Alas! after that there was no more running about in the wood! Instead the children, day after day, had to sit in the house, repeating after Tutor Ink strange gibberish, not one word of which they could understand.
With what longing eyes they looked at the wood! Often they thought they heard, amidst the happy songs of the birds and the rustling of the trees, the voice of the Stranger Child, calling, and calling: “Fanchon! Frederic! Are you not coming to play with me? Oh, come! I have made you a palace all of flowers! We will play there, and I will give you all sorts of beautiful stones! And then we’ll fly through the air, and build cloud-castles! Come! Oh, come!”
At this the children’s thoughts were so drawn to the wood, that they neither heard nor saw their tutor any longer; although he thumped on the table with both his fists, and hummed, and growled, and snarled.
At last one day the Count perceived how pale the children were getting, and bade Tutor Ink take them for a walk. The Tutor did not like the idea at all. And the children did not like it either, saying:—
“What business has Tutor Ink in our darling wood?”
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN TUTOR INK TOOK THE CHILDREN TO THE WOOD
“Well, Tutor Ink, is it not delightful here in our wood?” asked Frederic.
Tutor Ink made a face, and muttered: “Stupid nonsense! All one does is to tear his stockings! One can’t hear a word because of the abominable screeching of the birds!”