Mr. Trius was rushing towards them, holding out his stick in front like an emblem of his profession. The gentleman only made a light gesture with his hand, and Mr. Trius disappeared as he had come.
"Won't he hurt me if I come down to the door where he stands?" Mäzli asked. She retreated slightly from her protector, whom she had held tightly in her fear of the stick.
"No," he replied curtly, but his voice did not sound as severe as before, a fact which Mäzli noticed immediately. She was very grateful to him for chasing Mr. Trius away and she now felt desirous of doing him a service in return.
"Do you always have to sit alone here all the time? Does no one come to see you?" she asked, full of sympathy.
"No."
"Oh, then I must come to you another time and I'll keep you company," Mäzli said consolingly. "Does the bad baron never come down to you here?" she asked anxiously.
"Where is he?" came a second question.
"Don't you know that?" Mäzli said in great surprise. "He is up there where the windows are open." With this Mäzli looked up, and walking close to the chair, whispered cautiously, "A sick baron lies up there. Apollonie says that he is not bad, but I know that one has to be afraid of him. Are you afraid of him?"
"No."
"Then I won't be afraid of him either," Mäzli remarked, quite reassured. The gentleman who had chased away Mr. Trius so easily and was not afraid of the bad baron gave her all the confidence in the world. Under his protection she could face every danger.