As soon as dinner was mentioned, Vinzi suddenly sensed an immense hunger, so he set right to work gathering all the twigs under the tree and built a little fire. While it was dying down, Stefeli turned the grassy place into an attractive dinner table, laying out two large slices of bread spread with golden butter and two snow white eggs which their mother had boiled and which now only needed peeling. Then she carried the basket near the fire and put some clean round potatoes into the glowing coals. They were soon smoking and sizzling so invitingly the children waited impatiently for the moment when they could rake them from the bed of dying ashes. When they had cooled a little they bit deeper and deeper into the snowy whiteness, though they thought the hard-baked crust really the best of all.
The cows had been so busy grazing that now they were ready to rest a bit. Even Schwarzeli had settled down peacefully, though she tossed her little black head from time to time, showing she could not be trusted altogether.
The children cleaned up their place under the tree, for paper and eggshells did not belong on the fine green carpet of their living-room. And then they sat quietly and contentedly gazing over the pasture, enjoying the peace that was round about them.
"Now I might carry back the scarf we found," said Vinzi after a while. "The cows are sure to be quiet until I get back."
"Yes," agreed Stefeli. "The big ones will rest for a while and if Schwarzeli starts to run to the stream, I'll entice her back. I have kept all the salt mother gave us for the eggs. You did not ask for any, and Schwarzeli loves it."
Taking the scarf which Stefeli had folded, Vinzi ran off, but it took a good quarter of an hour for him to reach Mrs. Troll's house. The front door stood open and all was quiet inside.
Hearing chopping in the garden, he thought Mrs. Troll might be there, but suddenly quite different sounds attracted him so powerfully that he mounted the stairs. Through a half open door he caught the notes of a melody. Stepping up, he laid his ear on the door to hear better, but in his longing, he pressed quite hard and the door flew wide open.
Instantly the small musician who sat on a high stool before the instrument swung around and looked at him. Seeing he was quite shocked, she jumped down from the stool and ran up to him. "Oh, did you find my scarf and bring it back to me?" she asked as she caught sight of the scarlet cloth in his hand. "That is lucky for me! Miss Landrat gave me a good scolding for losing it and said that, as punishment, I must go over the same path I traveled with papa and the other gentlemen this morning and find it. Now you have brought it I do not have to go, so I will give you a reward. What would you like best?"
Vinzi gazed in surprise at the wonderful child who could produce such entrancing music and now speak to him as though they had been friends for a long time. He hesitated, but at last replied timidly, "Can I wish for anything I choose?"
"Yes," replied his new acquaintance decidedly, "but ask for something I can give you, not such a thing as a ship or a horse."