CHAPTER X
A LITTLE LIGHT
Stineli became more and more depressed as the days passed. The children complained, "Stineli won't tell us any more stories and she won't laugh with us any more."
One day the mother spoke to the father about the change in Stineli, but all that he said was: "It is because she is growing so rapidly. Let her rest a little and give her plenty of goat's milk to drink."
After about three weeks had passed in this way, the grandmother went with Stineli to her room one evening and said, "I can understand, dear, how hard you find it to forget about Rico, but I am afraid that you are not resigning yourself to the inevitable as it should be your duty to do for the sake of the dear ones about you."
"But, grandmother," sobbed Stineli, "you don't know how it hurts me to think that I gave Rico the notion of going to the lake; and now that he has been killed, I am to blame for it."
A great load seemed to fall from the grandmother as she heard these words. She had given Rico up for lost, for she could not otherwise account for his complete disappearance. A strong hope of his safety now came to her.
"Tell me, child," she said, "all that you know about his going to the lake."
Stineli told of Rico's longing to see the pretty lake he remembered, and how she had advised him to make the trip. "I am sure," she said, "that Rico started for the lake, but father says that he would get killed anyway."