"I can understand Mea," said the mother. "As soon as we came here she tried to get Elvira's friendship. She longs for friendship more than you do."
"Oh, mother, I have six or eight friends here, that is not so bad," Kurt declared.
"I couldn't say much for any of them," Bruno said quickly.
"It must hurt Mea," the mother continued, "that Elvira does not seem to be capable of friendship. You only act right in telling her what you consider wrong, Mea. If you show your attachment to her and try not to be hurt by little differences of opinion, your friendship might gradually improve."
As Lippo and Mäzli felt that the time for the general game had come, they came up to their mother to declare their wish. Soon everybody was merrily playing.
It happened to-day, as it did every day, that the clock pointed much too soon to the time which meant the inexorable end of playing. This usually happened when everybody was most eager and everything else was forgotten for the moment. As soon as the clock struck, playing was discontinued, the evening song was sung and then followed the disappearance of the two little ones. While the older children put away the toys, the mother went to the piano to choose the song they were to sing.
Mäzli had quickly run after her. "Oh, please, mama, can I choose the song to-day?" she asked eagerly.
"Certainly, tell me which song you would like to sing best."
Mäzli seized the song-book effectively.
"But, Mäzli, you can't even read," said the mother. "How would the book help you? Tell me how the song begins, or what lines you know."