‘Why, Lisbeth! Lisbeth!’ cried Gottlieb from below. ‘Come down! ‘tis full five o’ the morning. Here’s company; and what are we to do without the woman?’
‘Ah, Gottlieb! that is like men! They do not consider how different it is for us!’ which mysterious sentence being uttered to herself alone, enjoyed a meaning it would elsewhere have been denied.
Aunt Lisbeth dressed, and met Margarita descending. They exchanged the good-morning of young maiden and old.
‘Go thou first,’ said Aunt Lisbeth.
Margarita gaily tripped ahead.
‘Girl!’ cried Aunt Lisbeth, ‘what’s that thing in thy back hair?’
‘I have borrowed Lieschen’s arrow, aunt. Mine has had an accident.’
‘Lieschen’s arrow! An accident! Now I will see to that after breakfast, Margarita.’
‘Tra-ra, ta-ta, tra-ra, tra-ra,’ sang Margarita.
‘The wild boar lay a-grunting,
A-grunting, tra-ra.’