"But, tell me, Alida, who was to give him the lesson?" interrupted Hugo.
"I was," she answered earnestly.
Then Hugo burst out laughing and asked, "Didn't the idea of your giving him a piano lesson make him laugh?"
"No, he was very attentive," said his sister.
"That is enough!" exclaimed the governess angrily. "Ask no more questions, Hugo. Alida must not think it funny to invent such stuff. I shall write her father immediately, but the first thing—" and she hurried out of the room.
Hugo now began his questions again and to his great amusement heard that several lessons had already been given, that Vinzi had learned a great deal, and that Alida wanted to have her father know how Mrs. Troll had treated him.
Meanwhile Miss Landrat went to Mrs. Troll and instructed her to forbid Vinzi entering her house if he ever came near again.
That same evening Vinzi's father passed Mrs. Troll's house as he cut across the fields to his home, and she caught sight of him as she stood in her garden.
"Hey there, neighbor Lesa!" she called. "I would like to tell you something." And when he came up, she added, "I think it would be better for your boy if he had something to do instead of running into other people's houses for mischief."
"What do you mean, neighbor?"