As Jos went up to greet him, Vinzenz Lesa looked into the lad's open countenance with both pain and pleasure.
"He will be as big as you are, Lorenz," he declared after looking Jos over critically again. "He must be a great help to you already."
Mrs. Lesa had withdrawn some time before, and now came to the door to signal to Stefeli, who immediately began to lay the table.
"Your wife has a good helper, too," said Cousin Lorenz, who approved the way the little girl went about her work.
The mother now came in to spread her table with the best larder and cellar provided, for to feast those who had shown such kindness to her Vinzi was a keen delight.
"You must stay with us a few days, cousin," said she as she sat opposite him at table and saw to it that their plates were replenished with second servings of the ham which looked tempting indeed against the green leaves of the tender lettuce her garden had supplied. "You must leave Jos with us for several weeks at least."
"You make it easy for one to wish to stay, cousin," said Lorenz. "I chose to come on Saturday in order to spend Sunday with you, so I will gladly remain if you say so, but I must return home on Monday. As to the boy, Cousin Vinzenz shall settle that; I leave it to him."
"There's plenty of time for that," said the latter deliberately. "We will take a walk through the fields tomorrow morning. You would like to look over the farm, wouldn't you. We can talk over things then."
"Look at the cow stable, father, above everything else," cried Jos with enthusiasm, who had remained silent out of respect for his Cousin Vinzenz. But the impression he had received in the stable was so powerful, he must speak now. "There certainly are no finer cows than those in his stable, and they are as clean as though they had just been washed."
"I thought the cattle would please you," remarked his father.